Shakshuka

photo credit: Shiksa in the Kitchen

I have to tell you that this lovely picture is not from my kitchen, but borrowed from a fellow food blogger. My photo(see below), taken in bad light as I was rushing to serve dinner does not do this fabulous dish justice. However, Shakshuka is so delicious I just couldn't delay in posting it, so thank you Shiksa in the Kitchen for the great photo, and thank you to my Jewish heritage for exposing me to this great dish!

Shakshuka is eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce, it can be eaten at any meal of the day, and you can adjust the spices and the spiciness to your liking. Generally it is made with some fresh hot peppers sauteed with onion and garlic, and some cumin and paprika. This time around, since my coriander and cumin weren't ground and I was rushing, I grabbed some already ground black pepper, cardamom, caraway, and a little sambar curry powder, the result was fabulous as well...so get creative, you can take the seasoning in any direction you like and have a fabulous and easy meal. I also added some kale to the tomato sauce before cracking the eggs on top, and served this with some toasted whole wheat ciabatta bread brushed with olive oil. Rice would make a nice accompaniment as well.

Shakshuka is typically served in Israel for breakfast, and it's origins are said to be from Lybia. In the wonderful and fun cookbook: New Haven Cooks/Cocina New Haven,  I developed for CitySeed a few years back, Amalya Brownstein, a local Jewish Day School teacher contributed her Shakshuka recipe from her mother who is originally from Yemen, and I was so happy to be able to share the joy of this dish with others through that book, and Amalya's family recipe.

If you are near New Haven and interested in learning more about the cookbook New Haven Cooks/Cocina New Haven, come to the Peabody Museum this Thursday May 10th, from 5:30-7:30pm (contact the museum to make a reservation). I will be speaking on a panel with two other local cookbook authors, Jason Sobocinski of Caseus and The Big Cheese and Claire Criscolo of Claire's Cornercopia. Food Tasting will be happening... but probably something a little less messy than shakshuka..

Shakshukah

(my adaptation...)

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

fresh or dried chili pepper, to taste

1 tsp. ground cumin (or curry, or other spices you like)

1 tbsp. paprika

1  28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes,

   undrained 

Kosher salt, to taste

1 1/2 cups kale (or spinach, broccoli, or zucchini) chopped

 6 eggs

1 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Warm whole grain bread, for serving

1. Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, chili pepper, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

2. Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands. Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 20 minutes. About half way through simmering, add the kale or other vegetable, stir, cover and continue to simmer until vegetable is tender. Season sauce with salt.

3. Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce's surface. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle shakshuka with parsley and serve with whole grain bread or rice. Enjoy!