Shakshuka, one of my favorite brunch dishes. It is a delicious North African and Middle Eastern dish that combines rich tomato sauce with perfectly poached eggs. I like to add harissa to this Tunisian dish. Served with homemade sourdough bread, cilantro, and feta. With aromatic spices and onions, it's both comforting and exotic. Easily customizable, you can add veggies and cheese or adjust the spice level to your liking. Perfect for any meal, Shakshuka is a flavorful and satisfying one-pan wonder. Get ready to savor this simple and delightful culinary adventure.
What is great about Shakshuka?
Rich and vibrant flavors: Shakshuka is bursting with rich and aromatic flavors. The combination of tomatoes, onions, garlic, and a blend of spices like cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper creates a savory and satisfying taste.
Versatility: Shakshuka is a versatile dish that can be enjoyed for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. It can be served on its own with crusty bread, pita, or rice, or it can be paired with various accompaniments like feta cheese, olives, or fresh herbs to enhance the flavors further.
Easy to prepare: Shakshuka is relatively simple to make, requiring just a handful of ingredients. The basic recipe involves simmering a tomato and vegetable base, cracking eggs into the sauce, and cooking until the eggs are poached to perfection.
Tips
The base of Shakshuka is a tomato sauce, so using fresh and ripe tomatoes will provide the best flavor. If fresh tomatoes are not available, you can use canned diced tomatoes as an alternative.
To enhance the flavor of the dish, consider sautéing onions, garlic, and spices before adding the tomatoes. This step helps develop a rich and aromatic base for the Shakshuka.
Shakshuka typically contains spices like cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper for a mild kick. Adjust the amount of spice to your taste preferences. If you like it spicy, add more cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
Shakshuka
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
4 (8-inch) pita breads, divided 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained 3 cups jarred roasted red peppers, divided ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 4 garlic cloves, sliced thin 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 teaspoons ground coriander 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon table salt ¼ teaspoon pepper ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 8 large eggs ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and stems 1 ounce feta cheese, crumbled (¼ cup) ¼ cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
Directions:
1. Cut enough pita bread into ½-inch pieces to equal ½ cup (about one-third of 1 pita bread). Cut remaining pita breads into wedges for serving. Process pita pieces, tomatoes, and half of red peppers in blender until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Cut remaining red peppers into ¼-inch pieces and set aside. 2. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomato paste, coriander, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, until rust-colored and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomato–red pepper puree and reserved red peppers (mixture may sputter) and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to maintain simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened (spatula will leave trail that slowly fills in behind it, but sauce will still slosh when skillet is shaken), 10 to 12 minutes. 3. Remove skillet from heat. Using back of spoon, make 8 shallow dime-size indentations in sauce (7 around perimeter and 1 in center). Crack 1 egg into small bowl and pour into 1 indentation (it will hold yolk in place but not fully contain egg). Repeat with remaining 7 eggs. Spoon sauce over edges of egg whites so that whites are partially covered and yolks are exposed. 4. Bring to simmer over medium heat (there should be small bubbles across entire surface). Reduce heat to maintain simmer. Cover and cook until yolks film over, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue to cook, covered, until whites are softly but uniformly set (if skillet is shaken lightly, each egg should jiggle as a single unit), 1 to 2 minutes longer. Of heat, sprinkle with cilantro, feta, and olives. Serve immediately, passing pita wedges separately.
Suggested Pairing
Mimosa optional, but recommended.
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