eats // shakshuka

Shakshuka is definitely nothing new, but new to me as recent as two months ago. I started seeing the name pop up in cookbooks, instagram, pinterest, and was intrigued. I mean, come on, say it with me…shaaaaak shooooooo kaaaaa.

I learned that it’s predominantly known for being a Northern African dish, especially in Tunisia, but is also well known in Israel as it was brought there by Tunisian Jews. And I learned that last part on Wikipedia, thankyaverymuch. There are many different varieties of this dish; people often add sausage, other veggies, and chilies, but at it’s core, it is a spiced, baked, egg & tomato dish. I love it for lunch, especially because tomatoes and eggs are two of Jason’s least favorite foods, so by default, it actually can’t be a dinner meal around these parts. It’s also perfect any time of year because you can make it as long as you have a well stocked pantry. However, it does seem especially well suited for a cold day because it just warms you up so well, so maybe give it a try while we have a little more of this cooler weather! This particular recipe was borrowed from here.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Total time: 40 minutes

Feeds 3-4 people

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 chopped yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper
• 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 4-5 eggs
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne
• salt & pepper to taste
• chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375
• Heat oil in a cast iron skillet to medium high. Once warm, add onions and bell pepper. Saute until soft, 7-10 minutes.
• Add minced garlic, saute another 2 minutes.
• Add spices and canned tomatoes. Mix until slightly thicker, 5-7 more minutes.
• With a wooden spoon, create little openings in your mixture and crack an egg into each one, spaced out a couple of inches apart. Garnish with salt and pepper.
• Bake pan for 10 minutes, and garnish with chopped cilantro
• Traditionally, this dish is served with warm bread to scoop the mixture straight out of the pan with, but I opted for corn tortillas, a gluten free substitute