Shakshuka (Eggs cooked in a spicy tomato sauce)
I was lucky enough to have my in-laws here from Israel this week, sharing so many fantastic recipes with me. This is their recipe for Shakshuka, so it’s authentic. 🙂 I understand there are many versions of Shakshuka, this recipe is Tunisian. The garlicky tomato sauce has this perfect combination of sweet and spicy. You can make it mild, in fact if I am making it for my twins (almost 2) I leave the chili out, or put a very small piece in. You can cook the eggs until the yolks are hard, or keep them soft and runny. I love to eat Shakshuka with fresh pita, or challah bread and a side salad. The sauce itself (after the cooking process) ends up being about 3 cups worth. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1⁄2 cup oil of choice (mild tasting is best)
11⁄2 tablespoons paprika (sweet not smoked)
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1⁄4 teaspoon sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
1 green chili, deseeded and finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
12 large tomatoes, chopped and on each tomato remove half of the skin
5 to 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
Instructions
1. In a small bowl combine oil with paprika, salt, sugar, and black pepper to form a paste. Set aside.
2. Place chilies, red pepper, tomatoes, and garlic into a large pot.
3. Add spice paste and stir until spices are combined with tomato mixture.
4. Place large pot containing tomato mixture over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Reduce heat to low, and cook stirring every 10 minutes or so for about 3 hours. Tomato mixture will reduce and thicken and the consistency will be similar to a thick spaghetti sauce.
6. At this point you can refrigerate and save for another day.
7. Place desired amount of tomato mixture into a skillet over low heat.
8. Crack eggs into a small bowl one at a time and gently add to tomato mixture, leaving space between the eggs.
9. Cover and cook until egg whites are no longer translucent, roughly 7 to 10 minutes. Some people prefer set yolks, and some prefer runny – cook until egg yolks suit your fancy.
10. Serve immediately.
11. Enjoy!
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