shakshuka

As promised, I played around with making shakshuka over the weekend.  It is an Israeli dish with a rustic farmhouse flavor.  I pretty much made it verbatim from here.  It was so good.  So good.  It was kind of like chili, but without the stewed flavor.  It was fresher.  Brian said it reminded him of a Korean dish, probably because of the eggs.  We ate it up, and it was gooood.  And it took no time at all!

1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes

3 jalapeños, chopped and seeded

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T olive oil

1 T paprika

2 t. cumin

6 eggs

1/2 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup feta for garnish

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley for garnish

serves 4 to 6

 Chop your vegetables and crush the tomatoes by hand.  Yes, you will have messy hands.  Kind of ax murder hands.  Fun!

 Saute the onions and peppers in the olive oil until slightly browned.  Use a stock pot, or dutch oven.  Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Pour your crushed tomatoes (with juice) and water into your pot, and simmer your mixture for 15 minutes on medium.  Stir occasionally.

 Gently add eggs to the surface of your mixture, distributing evenly.  Be careful not to break the yolks.  Cover and continue to cook an additional 5 minutes.  I cooked mine for another 12 minutes instead, because we like slightly firmer yolks.  I also used only 4 eggs, since I knew I'd only eat one, and Brian could have the rest.  This was a bit too spicy for the kiddos.

Garnish with the feta and parsley.  And dang, that feta and parsley helped MAKE the dish.  But then cheese just does it for me every time.

I know this may sound like a strange dish to some people, but it really is delicious!  I broke my egg up into pieces in my bowl, and mixed it in.  We dipped flat bread into the shakshuka and it was heaven.  Thanks to my friend, Jo, who introduced me to this!  I love trying new dishes.  And this one was a big winner.