Shakshuka!
My friend Tamara suggested, in the midst of my whining about planning the week’s dinner menu, that I make Shakshuka. Shakshuka is a versatile dish, with origins in Tunisian cuisine, that has become an Israeli staple. It truly is a farmer’s dish– hearty, filling and full of good stuff from the land. The basic shashuka recipe is made with onions, peppers, tomatoes and eggs, along with hot sauce or hot pepper. In The Book of Jewish Food, Claudia Roden notes that Tunisians used other vegetables as well. It’s versatility lies in that it’s good for breakfast, lunch or dinner and it’s a great way to use up vegetables that are languishing in the crisper.
The version I made this morning included zucchini.
You’ll need:
- 2 onions (or one large one), chopped smal
- 2-4 bell peppers, chopped small (depending upon the size… my peppers were huge and I only needed 2. Tamara likes to mix up the colors.)
- 4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- Whatever other vegetables you’d like to use.
- 4 eggs (if making this dish for a larger group, figure one egg per person).
- Vegetable oil
- Hot sauce or a hot pepper, seeded and chopped. (Tamara likes to use sriracha!)
Peppers and zucchini, chopped and tomatoes peeled.
Prep all your vegetables before you begin.
An easy way to peel tomatoes is to blanch them, then dunk them in an ice water bath. Bring a pot of water to a boil. If you score the top and bottom of each tomato with an X, the tomatoes will begin to self-peel while blanching, making your job easier. Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then scoop out with a slotted spoon and place into ice water bath. When tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off skin.
Fry onions in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until softened and browned.
When the onions are nice and soft, add in the peppers and whatever other vegetables you are using. Cook until soft.
After adding tomatoes, simmer for ten minutes.
Add in the chopped tomatoes. At this point, I season with salt and pepper, to help draw out the moisture from the vegetables while they simmer.
Crack those eggs!
Tamara likes to crack the eggs one by one in a separate dish, then slide the eggs in. I cracked the eggs right into the pan, because I’m dangerous like that. (You can see that I broke a yolk. Boo hoo.) Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the eggs set. You want the yolk to be a bit runny– it’s the best part of the dish! My yolks ended up a bit more cooked than I would’ve liked but I’m not ready to feed my 13 month old runny eggs, as much as I love them. (You are supposed to make little indentations in the vegetables for the eggs, but I forgot to do this. Next time!)
Serve with whatever bread you've got on hand.
We only had whole wheat toast in the house but this would be excellent with pita or a hearty peasant slice, toasted and buttered. Enjoy!
(By the way, most of this dish is locally sourced food– the peppers, zucchini, tomatoes and eggs are all from within 100 miles, if not closer.)
