OnTheTable: Shakshuka, Israeli Breakfast for Dinner

Shakshuka: Israeli Breakfast for Dinner

Shakshuka—a spice driven, egg and tomato stew—is of Tunisian origin, but has been adopted in Israel as a popular breakfast dish. On The Table has adopted the following version of Shakshuka, (derived from Saveur’s Jan. 2010 edition) as a standby, weeknight dinner. The ingredients are usually on hand; and the preparation is relatively straight forward. What most impresses is the gusto of flavor that such simple ingredients create when combined.

Ingredients:

Olive oil: ¼ cup

Yellow or white onion: 1

Serrano peppers, or jalapeños: 3 (seeded, depending on desired heat level)

Smoked paprika: 1 Tbsp

Ground cumin: 1 tsp 

Garlic: 8 chopped cloves

Canned tomatoes, crushed: 1 (28 oz) can

Water: 1 cup

Salt: to taste

Eggs: 8

Feta cheese: 8 oz

Cilantro: to taste 

Bread: for dipping 

Step 1

Heat the oil in a deep-sided vessel over medium heat. Chop the onion and the peppers. Depending upon your heat tolerance, seed the peppers; we leave 1/3 of the seeds for more “oomph.” Place the chopped aromatics in the hot oil, and cook them down, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and translucent.

Note: As a majority of a pepper’s heat comes from the seeds, removing them will result in less heat. Regardless, this is no bland dish. If you want mild, stick to eggs and bacon. Also, depending on kitchen ventilation, the simmering peppers may cause eye-watering as the pepper’s component, capsaicin (the naturally occurring chemical responsible for a pepper’s heat), is released into the air. It’s worth it in the end.

Step 2

Add in the paprika, cumin and garlic. Sauté (and stir) the spices until a thick and tacky paste is achieved. 

Note: While any paprika will suffice, the smoked varietal will fill the kitchen with pungent campfire aroma that is akin to ringing a massive dinner bell. At this point, dinner can’t come soon enough.

Step 3

Add the crushed tomatoes, and all their juices, to the simmering pot of aromatics and spices. Add to this 1 cup of water. Stir to combine. Once the entire mixture is heated and bubbling away, carefully crack the eggs into the pot—evenly distributing them over the surface of the mixture.

Note: The goal is to cook firm the whites of the eggs while leaving the yolks runny. This is achieved by both breaking up the whites by stirring them into the simmering tomato sauce, and by basting the tops of the yolks with the same sauce—thereby cooking the whites that inevitably top the yolk. Once this is done, lidding the pot will cook the eggs more evenly.

Step 4

Once the eggs are cooked to your liking (again, we prefer firm whites and runny yolks), kill the heat and crumble feta over the surface. Garnish with cilantro (if you are odd and dislike cilantro, you can use flatleaf parsley). Serve with bread. Breakfast for dinner never tasted so good.

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