shakshuka
Literally one of the most fun words to say. Pronounced "shock-shooka", this dish is so easy to make and can be eaten for breakfast, brunch or dinner.
The origins of this dish are a little unclear, but it's consumed and loved from north Africa to the Middle East and even in Europe. Eggs poached in a spiced tomato sauce? Sign me up! Simple, easy and quick- perfect for a Sunday morning brunch and tastes like you've been working on it for hours. Here's what you need:
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 ripe plum tomatos
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 28oz can of stewed tomatos
- 1 6oz can of tomato paste
- 1/2 cup shredded kale
- 1/2 cup of feta
- 3 tablespoons diced piquillo peppers
- 1 tablespoon of turmeric
- 2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons of sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon of garlic salt
- 4 large eggs
It's definitely a longer list of ingredients, and I've modified them to my taste. Traditionally the dish is made with cumin and bell peppers but if you know me you know that I HATE cumin and bell peppers. Instead of cumin, I used turmeric and instead of bell peppers, I used piquillo peppers. Both mild in flavor yet add a really nice depth to the dish.
Start by dicing the yellow onion and garlic cloves and letting them sweat with the cored tomatoes and piquillo peppers in a large skillet over medium high heat. While those are sweating away, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Then add the spices and continue to cook over medium heat until everything is coated and the spices are fragrant.
After about 7 minutes, add the can of stewed tomatoes and tomato paste and let simmer for 5-10 minutes. Once the sauce has reduced a bit, add a 1/2 cup of feta cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. It should be about the consistency of a rich marinara sauce, and in a lot of ways this is a very similar sauce!
The next step is SO easy, and definitely the most fun part. Around the perimeter of the skillet, make little wells with a spoon and crack an egg into each crater. If you're feeding for a larger group, use more eggs! Then just pop the entire thing in the oven for about 5-7 minutes or until the eggs are set to your preference. For me, the perfect egg has a runny yolk and a completely cooked egg white. That takes about 6 minutes, depending on your oven.
Serve over breakfast potatoes and garnish with fresh cilantro and more feta cheese.
This dish is so easy, so delicious and the presentation definitely makes it a crowd pleaser! It's at the top of my brunch go-to list! What are your favorite brunch foods?
