Shakshuka

Along with the Potato and Feta Bourekas I made Shakshuka.  This is a dish that consists of eggs baked in a sauce containing tomatoes, peppers, onions, and spices.  It originated in Tunisia but is a very popular Israeli breakfast.  If you live in NYC there are a few restaurants that serve a mean shakshuka. Hummus Place and Hummus Kitchen are two places that I know of.  I originally got the idea of making this dish when my friend Kim sent me a link from Smitten Kitchen.  It seemed pretty easy and I remember loving this dish when I was young and spent summers in Israel.  Not only is this meal delicious and easy to make, it's super healthy and low in calories too!  I basically followed Smitten Kitchen's recipe with a few minor changes and I doubled the recipe too.

Shakshuka

(makes enough sauce for 1 dozen eggs)

1/2 cup olive oil
3 Jalapenos, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
2 red peppers, chopped (optional)
2 green peppers, chopped (optional)
3 dried spicy red chilles, broken in half
10 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons spicy paprika (you can use regular paprika too)
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (omit if you don't like it too spicy)
2 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, undrained
Kosher salt, to taste
12 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley, for sprinkling
Warm pitas, for serving


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

Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt.
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 pitas, for dipping. Enjoy!

The recipe says to bake the eggs in a skillet, however if you don't have a large enough skillet, you can do what I did.  I made the sauce in a large pot and then transferred the sauce to a baking dish, placed the cracked eggs in the dish, and baked for about 10 minutes in a very hot oven, about 400 degrees.  Serve and Enjoy!

Whoops I forgot to take a photo of the finished dish, sorry, my friends were hungry and I was overly excited!!