Shakshuka

Lunch dates with my friend Shoshana at our favorite café is one of the many things that I miss these days. At the appointed time, we would meet, hugging one another like long lost relatives, no matter that we already spoke on the phone twice that morning and saw each other three days ago. After having resolved the crucially important issue of where we should sit, we would study the large menu with great concentration. After several minutes, we would fold our menus and solemnly pronounce our decision: “shakshuka”. Then we would burst out laughing, because we always ordered shakshuka whenever we went out to eat together.

Shakshuka

For the uninitiated, shakshuka is a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers, onion and garlic, commonly spiced with cumin, paprika, and cayenne or hot pepper flakes. When my brother and sister suggested that we have a Zoom brunch get together on Sunday morning, where we would all cook the same dish, I proposed that we make shakshuka. With three different  teams preparing the same recipe, I asked each group to cook their meal slightly differently. Team A would cook the eggs in the sauce, on top of the stove. Team B would bake the eggs in the sauce, in the oven and Team C, that’s me, would bake the shakshuka in individual ramekins in the oven. The recipe we used was a slight adaptation of Melissa Clark‘s recipe featured in the New York Times and the recipe posted by Cookie and Kate. Here’s how it played out.

Assemble your ingredients. The original recipe calls for baking the eggs in the oven once the tomato sauce is prepared. We prepared this recipe two ways. If you are going to go the oven route, now is the time to preheat the oven to 375 F.

Heat up one tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the diced onions, chopped pepper and salt to the shimmering oil and sauté, stirring often until the onions are translucent, about 4-6 minutes. Add the minced garlic, tomato paste, cumin, smoked paprika and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is fragrant. Add the diced canned tomatoes and their juices. Let the mixture come to a simmer and  cook for 10 minutes until the liquid reduces slightly.

If making the shakshuka in the oven: Turn off the heat on the stove top. Taste the tomato sauce for salt and pepper and adjust the seasoning to taste. With the back of a spoon, make a well in the tomato sauce and crack an egg carefully into the well trying not to break the yolk. Repeat with the remaining 4-5 eggs. If your frying pan does not have an oven-safe handle, insulate it by wrapping 2 layers of aluminum foil around the handle. Place the frying pan in the oven and bake for 8-15 minutes depending on how well done you like your eggs. Team B cooked their eggs in the oven for 10 minutes. The eggs were slightly firmer than they were expecting but they said that they were delicious.

If making the shakshuka on top of the stove: Taste the tomato sauce for salt and pepper and adjust the seasoning to taste. With the back of a spoon, make a well in the tomato sauce and crack an egg carefully into the well trying not to break the yolk. Repeat with the remaining 4-5 eggs. Cover the frying pan with a lid and continue to simmer until the eggs reach the level of doneness that you prefer. Team A cooked the eggs for about 11 minutes. If you like runny yolks, check the eggs after 9-10 minutes.

I made a single serving of shakshuka in a ramekin in the oven. The egg cooked very slowly. I would not advise this method. Perhaps my results would have been better if I cooked it in a low-sided single-serve gratin dish. (Check out your local dollar store. I’ve seen them there.) Please note that a single serving of shakshuka can be made on top of the stove or in the oven using the methods outlined above. Transfer a single serving of sauce to a small frying pan and proceed as described. The remainder of the sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or frozen for use at another time.

The shakshuka is cooked when the egg whites are an opaque white color and the yolks are still soft. They continue to cook when removed from the heat. However, egg yolk firmness is a very personal choice. (My friend Shoshana always requests them well done.) Top with crumbed feta or goat cheese and a sprinkling of chopped parsley, cilantro or spinach. Serve with pita for mopping up the sauce.

Whether baked in the oven or made on top of the stove, this is a perfect breakfast, brunch or lunch dish that can be eaten when dining solo or with family and friends (even on Zoom).

Print Recipe

Shakshuka

Breakfast, Bread and Muffins

By Cookie and Kate and Melissa Clark, New York Times – Serves: 3-4

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: 25-30 (15 minutes stove top +10 minutes oven or stove top) – Total Time: 35 minutes

One-pan recipe for eggs baked or cooked in a spicy red pepper and tomato sauce seasoned with cumin, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper or roasted red bell pepper, chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed, minced or microplaned
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, adjusted for your own sensitivity to heat
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, with their juices
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 5-6 large eggs
• For serving:
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta or 2-3 tablespoons goat cheese
• chopped parsley, spinach or cilantro

Instructions

1

This recipe can be started on the stove top and finished in the oven or cooked on top of the stove until completion. If you choose to finish the shakshuka in the oven, preheat the oven to 375 F.

2

Heat up one tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the diced onions, chopped pepper and salt to the shimmering oil and sauté, stirring often until the onions are translucent, about 4-6 minutes.

3

Add the minced garlic, tomato paste, cumin, smoked paprika and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is fragrant.

4

Add the diced canned tomatoes and their juices. Let the mixture come to a simmer and  cook for 10 minutes until the liquid reduces slightly.

If making the shakshuka in the oven:

5

Turn off the heat on the stove top. Taste the tomato sauce for salt and pepper and adjust the seasoning to taste. With the back of a spoon, make a well in the tomato sauce and crack an egg carefully into the well trying not to break the yolk. Repeat with the remaining 4-5 eggs. If your frying pan does not have an oven-safe handle, insulate it by wrapping 2 layers of aluminum foil around the handle. Place the frying pan in the oven and bake for 8-15 minutes depending on how well done you like your eggs. Ten minutes produces eggs that are soft but verging on firm.

If making the shakshuka on top of the stove:

6

Taste the tomato sauce for salt and pepper and adjust the seasoning to taste. With the back of a spoon, make a well in the tomato sauce and crack an egg carefully into the well trying not to break the yolk. Repeat with the remaining 4-5 eggs. Cover the frying pan with a lid and continue to simmer until the eggs reach the level of doneness that you prefer. If you like runny yolks, check the eggs after 9-10 minutes.

For both methods:

7

Top the shakshuka with crumbed feta or goat cheese and a sprinkling of chopped parsley, cilantro or spinach before serving. Serve with pita for mopping up the sauce.

Notes

After making the sauce, you can transfer a single serving of sauce to a small frying pan and proceed as outlined above, reducing the amount of eggs used to one or two. The extra sauce can be stored for later use in a resealable container and kept in the refrigerator or freezer.