Shakshouka: It’s What’s for Dinner
This past Sunday I made a North African dish called Shakshouka. I was inspired by a food-travel show (a la No Reservations w/o all the sass) where the host went to Israel and visited a restaurant where the proprietor made up a gigantic pan of this stuff. It looked so good I had to try making it that night.
One of the neat things about the dish is that when it’s time, you plop eggs in and let them slow poach over the peppery stew slurry.
C and I both agree that it came out very tasty. We ate it with hummus, pita, and some simple homemade olive spread (chunky chopped olives, a bit of thyme and olive oil).
And even though there’s traditionally no meat in the dish (although you could certainly add sausage or other meat), it has a thick and beefy vibe along with the egg protein that doesn’t leave you missing it.
(I’ll include my recipe after the pics)
Cut up peppers hit the pan after sauteing the onions and garlic
Fresh peppers and onions up close
Neat texture on the wood spoon, right?
Just added generous amounts of cumin and coriander
Starting to come together
10-15 minutes into a steady simmer
Volcanic love
Eggs are in! It’s poaching time. You can see four here but there’s actually a fifth that was lost to the abyss in the top left.
Note the hummus on the table. It’s the perfect compliment for the shakshouka. We also had fresh and chunky olive spread with it. Also note our cat Petunia under my thumbs up. She’s the perfect compliment to shakshouka making.
The end result! Yum! Seriously.
Recipe
Thanks to Tamara, whose recipe I worked off of with some revisions along the way.
Ingredients (for four good-sized portions):
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of olive oil (olive oil is a key component here and you won’t more than just a coating on the bottom of the pan)
- 2 medium to large onions chopped
- 6-10 garlic cloves minced (garlic is big in this dish too)
- 4 large bell peppers (red, green, yellow, and/or orange) knuckle-sized pieces or anything would work really
- 5 tsp cumin
- 3 tsp coriander
- 4-5 tsp paprika
- A dash or cayenne or red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
- 4 (or more or less) large eggs
Steps
- Saute the onions in the olive oil until translucent (not browned) in a large pan.
- Add the minced garlic and saute them w/ the onions for a few more minutes.
- Add the peppers and stir it all together
- Add the spices – cumin, coriander, paprika
- Saute all of that until peppers soften up
- Add the tomatoes
- Saute the entire mixture on low heat for 15 (or more minutes) stirring regularly along the way. Also taste and add salt and pepper to your liking.
- Now it’s time for the eggs! Take a spoon a push it into the top of the mixture to make a little hole where you want the egg to go. But don’t make it too deep. I lost an egg that way.
- The eggs will probably need 10 minutes or more from when you put them in. It all depends on how you like your yokes, a bit runny or more well done.
- Spoon and serve!
Great w/ pita and hummus!
I absolutely agree, and I attest from a first-hand taste. This was so delicious, and so filling! All the while, a healthy and hearty alternative to meat.
Eliot came to South Windsor this past Saturday and made this dish for me and Joe. I absolutely adore ‘middle-eastern’ food. Maybe it’s the African influence in this dish, but, I would have to say that this is probably the best ‘middle-eastern’ type dishes I have ever had. It was absolutely delicious and I have to say that Eliot’s skill for cooking has reached a pinnacle with ‘Shakshouka’