Shakshuka

Shakshuka is a dish with Israeli and north African roots, consisting of poached eggs in a tomato and paprika sauce. In my version, I roast the paprika and onions, which adds sweetness and a bit of smokiness.

Yield: 6 – 8 servings
Time: 2 hours

4 Paprika (Bell Peppers), roasted, peeled and seeded
1 medium onion, roasted
4 cloves garlic, roasted
1 400g can whole, peeled tomatoes
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cayenne or chili flakes (optional)
100g feta cheese, crumbled
olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 180°C

Coarsely chop the paprika and onions. Mince the garlic.

In an oven-safe skillet over medium heat, heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add cumin to skillet and cook until fragrant – about a minute. Add paprika, onions and garlic and allow to sweat for a few minutes. Add tomatoes (with sauce) and use your spoon to break the tomato into smaller chunks. Add cayenne/chili flakes (if using) and allow mixture to simmer until slightly thickened; about 10 minutes.

Using your spoon or a ladle, create small depressions and crack an egg into each. Sprinkle crumbled feta cheese over the mixture. Bake in oven for 15-25 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs.

Alternate baking method: spoon/ladle 150-200ml of the paprika/tomato mixture into ramekins. For each ramekin, use a spoon/ladle to make a small depression in the mixture and crack an egg in it. Sprinkle crumbled feta cheese over the mixture and bake in over for 15-25 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs.

Chef’s Notes

A 50-60ml ladle works very well for adding the eggs to the mixture. Simply crack an egg into the bowl of the ladle, then press the bowl of the ladle into the mixture until the top of the bowl is level with the mixture. Swivel the ladle to dump the egg into the depression in the mixture.