Shakshuka

I'd never heard of shakshuka until about two years ago. On a bitter cold winter day, my coworker Maddie mentioned that she was making this dish for dinner and when she described eggs poached in thick, spicy tomato sauce, it piqued my curiosity. A few weeks later, a friend posted on Facebook that she was making the same dish. The following month, I saw it featured in one of my favorite food magazines. Every couple of months since Maddie mentioned shakshuka at work, it has popped up somewhere in articles, on my social media feeds and in conversations. It's like there is some karmic force trying to guide my hands to make shakshuka. So, yeah, I'm taking the hint. The added benefit of this hearty and warming dish is that its very low in Weight Watchers points, which means I have room for dessert!

Shakshuka originated in Tunisia and its commonly found all over North Africa and the Middle East. Tunisian, Moroccan and Algerian Jews brought it with them to Israel during the mass exodus from Arab and Muslim countries that began in 1948 when the State of Israel was established. Tomatoes, onions and peppers are simmered until thick, then eggs are dropped into the sauce and poached until the whites are firm and the yolks are runny. Its served with pita, challah or crusty bread and is commonly found on the breakfast table, but is also a great brunch, lunch or dinner option with a salad on the side. Some recipes I saw called for fresh chilies like jalapeno, some had greens like spinach or kale in them and some added cheese or cream to the sauce. Other variations included sprinkling crumbled feta cheese, chopped olives and chopped mint or basil on top. It didn't turn up in any of the recipes I found in my research, but I added diced eggplant just for giggles. 

SHAKSHUKA

1 28 oz can whole, peeled tomatoes

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

1 sweet red pepper, diced

1 small eggplant, peeled and diced

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp sweet paprika

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

salt and black pepper

2 tbsp chopped parsley (optional)

6 eggs

This dish dates back to the 13th century and I can imagine people cooking shakshuka over an open flame in a hand-forged iron pan and eating it with bread baked in a clay oven. From everything I'd read, it seemed ridiculously easy to prepare. I put a cast iron skillet on medium high and let it heat up while I diced my veg. I decided to saute the eggplant first and allow it to soften and char a bit, which took about 10 minutes, before adding the onions, peppers and spices. We like spicy food, so I added the cayenne pepper, just to jack it up a bit, but for folks who might not appreciate the heat, the cayenne can be omitted. A good technique to develop deep, charred flavor is not to disturb the vegetables in the pan.

Resist the urge to stir and allow them to caramelize in the pan. I cooked my veg for another 10 minutes and it was nice and browned when I added the tomato paste and garlic and gave it all a good stir.  I let this cook for just a few minutes until the garlic became fragrant, then added the tomatoes. I like to drain my tomatoes into a bowl, reserving the liquid, and crush them with my hand before adding them to the pan. Set the liquid aside in case you need it later to thin out the sauce. 

Using a flat wooden spatula, I scraped all the charred goodness, browned bits and caramelized tomato paste off the bottom of the pan and incorporated it back into the sauce. At this point, the sauce was pretty loose and I allowed it to simmer over medium heat for a good 15 minutes to allow everything to cook down and thicken and the flavors to meld. I knew it needed to be thick enough to support the eggs and yet still be saucy enough to gently poach them. When it was time to add the eggs, I turned the stove to its lowest setting and made indentations in the sauce with the back of a large spoon. One by one, I cracked the eggs right into those indentations and gently spooned the sauce up and over the whites of each egg, leaving the yolks exposed.

 

I covered the pan to allow the eggs to poach slowly while I made a salad and sliced and toasted a baguette. Once the whites were firm, the eggs were done, although I did slightly overcook mine and didn't achieve the creamy loveliness of the runny yolk I was hoping for. Still, my shakshuka was pretty tasty. The sauce was rich and complex and the spices married nicely with the vegetables. The eggplant added body and an earthy lusciousness that was so satisfying and the crusty bread was an excellent accompaniment.  On a cold winter night, this saucy, spicy dish of tomato, eggs and crusty bread was perfect. The kitchen karma worked its magic and introduced me one of my new favorite dishes. And with just 3 Weight Watchers points per serving, its a great addition to the regular rotation.