Shakshuka
I had a variant of this dish for the first time at Emma's Torch, a restaurant in Brooklyn. It was certainly not the traditional technique, but I loved the combination of strong flavors in the tomatoes, peppers, and spices, which paired amazingly with the rich poached eggs and crispy rice. Here's my take on the dish. It tasted absolutely amazing and is great as a hearty brunch. This is probably one of the few times you'll see me voluntarily include bell peppers in a dish and enjoy it.
Active Time: 25 min
Total Time: 35 min
Ingredients
> Onion (1 large)
> Garlic (2-3 cloves)
> Bell pepper (1)
> San Marzano tomatoes (28 oz can)
> Eggs (6)
> Bread
> Parsley or cilantro
> Olive oil, salt, cumin, paprika, cayenne, turmeric, black pepper
Instructions
1. Prep: Dice one large onion. Peel and chop a few cloves of garlic. Remove seeds from and dice half of a bell pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Saute diced onions for about 5-7 minutes, or until lightly browned.
3. Add the garlic and diced peppers, and saute for another 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.
4. Add all the spices: cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, and black pepper. Stir and cook for a few minutes until the spices are infused into the oil.
5. Add an entire can of San Marzano tomatoes. Simmer for roughly 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning, and adjust accordingly.
6. Make six wells (or however many eggs you wish to make) in the tomato sauce. Crack the eggs into ramekins, then gently place them in the wells. Season the eggs with salt and pepper. Cover, and simmer until the eggs are cooked to your preferred doneness.
7. Remove the pan from the heat. Drizzle some olive oil over the top and finish with some chopped parsley or cilantro. Serve with some toasted bread. Enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> I don't fully understand the science behind it, but I believe that adding the spices before adding the tomatoes allows the flavor to infuse better into the dish. This occurs because the spices are able to cook in the oil, which releases more of their flavor, rather than in the water of the tomatoes.
> Regardless of what your preferred doneness for the eggs are, I would recommend taking them off the heat a minute or two before you think they are ready. The eggs will continue to cook in the warm liquid even as you take it off the heat. I personally prefer my egg yolks to be runny and my whites to be set but relatively soft.