Traditionally a breakfast dish, Shakshuka is a popular Israeli meal consisting of peppers, tomatoes, onions, and cumin. I saw this dish on Tastespotting and had always wanted to try it, as eggs for dinner are a staple in any working girls’ diet. They are quick, nutritious, and delicious. I am trying to eat less meat and more vegetables in the New Year, so this recipe was a perfect blend of color and taste. It is sweet, savory, and oddly filling for a dish with no grains or meat.
the base of this recipe slowly cooked peppers, so pretty
Yotam Ottolenghi‘s beautiful cookbook Plenty is basically my bible. I do not usually follow cookbooks, I normally just loosely throw things together and use my computer instead of a classic manual. But if I could choose one way of cooking/eating for the rest of my life, his would be mine. There are the most beautiful pictures in this meatless, healthy, and hearty book of recipes, it gives “foodporn” its namesake. I used his suggestions for Shakshuka, as he is originally from Israel, and I thought it would be more authentic. Then added some flair of my own!
peppers and onions simmer down until soft
you have to add a few teaspoons of sugar to help caramelize the veggies, i used a cinnamon orange flavored one Taylor made me, i think a teaspoon of cinnamon and a squeeze of juice would do the trick
add chicken broth and spices, watch the peppers become more of a sauce
crack eggs to be poached in the sauce
reduce, scoop, serve with avocados and sriracha, the center of the egg will cook as you eat
Shakshuka
Serves 2
1/2 tsp cumin
light olive oil
1 small onions
1 red 1 orange 1 yellow peppers, cut into 2cm strips
4tsp orange cinnamon sugar (or 4 tsp sugar and add a teaspoon cinnamon and a 1/4 cup OJ)
1 bay leaf
3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked and chopped
1tbsp chopped parsley
1tbsp chopped coriander, plus extra to garnish
3 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1tbsp tomato paste
1/2tsp saffron threads
pinch of cayenne pepper
up to 2 cups of chicken broth
4 eggs
1/2 avocado chopped
feta
lemon squeeze
sriracha for serving
salt and black pepper
your post came up on my fb feed…and made me so happy! most of the shakshukas I know from Israel are a bit more tomato-y, but yours looks awesome. you can also serve with a great crusty bread and cottage cheese. (also, i don’t have the ottolenghi cookbook, but the ottolenghi restaurants are incredible- they have another self-titled book as well..) now i’m going to have to start following your blog. alina.
heyyy thanks alina i love that you saw this post, i actually thought a lot about you when cooking it and was wondering if you eat it a lot in Israel! i read that they usually are more tomatoey- Yotams book didn’t even require tomato paste, I added it bc I too thought it was weak on the toms. I am glad you commented too because I forgot to add that I garnished with some feta and lemon- so i added it just now, it really makes a big difference to have a little cheese in there. I will definitely try cottage cheese next time, yum. i am dying to go to one of his restaurants, are you back in the states?? so good hearing from you!!
love,
bty