Everybody Loves Shakshuka

This dish was phenomenal. It was the first time I had ever made it and I fell in love, hard. A savory and spicy tomato stew just packed with herbs and spices, rounded out with poached eggs and feta. This is the breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner you're pretty happy you are eating. All the praise I have for this dish, and I really wish I could say the same for the video we shot for it. I made it earlier in the day and shot it in the perfect sunlight, thankfully. But when my girlfriends came over and we made it with some wine, it was basically a 2 hour video with no eye contact with the camera. Yay us? Needless to say it got scrapped.

This dish however has been made on repeat. It is a keeper. And in case you're not yet sold on my culinary abilities, let me just tell you how simple this is to make. It is a one pot/cast iron skillet kind of "dump dish". Sure it isn't the loveliest language. But who doesn't love deliciously simple dishes with minimal clean up?

Shakshuka is actually a dish with no origin. There is some debate about where this baby was born and who has custody of it. Rumors of Spain, North Africa, and the greater Middle Eastern area have all been rumored. Where is Maury Povich when you need him?

So although I can't take ownership of this baby (really no one can), I am proud to have it up on the blog, in your mouth, tummy, etc... (Or something normal people say.) Lets eat!

Ingredients/Instructions:

1 yellow onion

8-10 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

2 red peppers

6 roma tomatoes

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp corriander

2 tsp salt

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

1 tsp white sugar

1/4 cup parsley

1/4 cup mint

1/4 cup cilantro

6 eggs

1/2 - 1/2 cup feta

more herbs to top

avocado (optional)

naan, pita, hash browns, toast.... or whatever (There are some exclusions, naturally... you probably wouldn't want to sop it up with dog food... although, I did make steak and eggs earlier that day, and the chopped steak was a damn good addition to this.)

1. Begin by chopping up your onions, garlic and peppers.

2. Add the garlic and onions to a hot skillet, along with 2 tbsp of EVOO and stir until translucent and fragrant (5-8 minutes).

3. Add the diced red bell peppers and more olive oil if necessary and continue to stir (5-7 minutes).

4. Dice the roma tomatoes and add them to the skillet, along with the canned diced tomatoes.

5. Add all of the herbs, spices and sugar; stir well until everything in integrated.

6. Reduce heat and add your chopped herbs as well.

7. Continue to cook, stirring every 3-4 minutes for 20 minutes or so or until all of the flavors cook together.

8. Create little divots for your eggs and add them to the pan. Here you have two choices. You can reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet and cook until the egg whites are set. Or you can put it in the oven at 350 to set the eggs. Both take 8-10 minutes. I had a girl friend over who was wary of eggs poached in anything, so I baked it for her. Other times I have just cooked it on the stove top.

10. Sprinkle with feta, fresh herbs and top with sliced/diced avocado, more red pepper flakes or whatever. (Again, use common sense.)

Enjoy people. For real.

And here my friends, are the only pictures left of when we drank to much wine and tried to film making shakshuka. It is not pretty, it is not blog worthy. But this is what I have. (We dumped hash browns and steak on it. It was a reaaaalllly good call.)