Welcome to Skye’s Salivating Shakshuka Cook-a-long! This recipe has a 10 minute prep time and a 15 minute cook time. Make sure to gulf it down right away, as the eggs will overcook with any major delays. The humble shakshuka is the classic Middle Eastern breakfast consisting of poached eggs in a tomato sauce.
Recipe for 2 servings:
1 Tbs Olive Oil
4 Eggs
1 Can of Diced Tomatoes 15 oz or ½ to 1 Can of Tomato Paste with ~13 oz of Water and 1/2 Tbs of Lemon Juice
Veggies (Variable) - ex: 1 Onion, 6 Cloves of Garlic (mmm garlic!), 1 Zucchini, 1 Red Bell Pepper, 1 Carrot. Cheese (for those foodies obsessed with the flavor)
1 Tsp Cumin (preferably seeds), 1 Tsp Pepper, 1.5 Tsp Smoked Paprika
Optional Seasoning Substitution or Add-Ons: Basil, Za’atar, Oregano
Prep:
Dice veggies into cubes, julienne (cut into strips) the peppers for a change in texture and consistency
Season with cumin seeds (as they'll toast with the sauté), if you have the powder form you would add it with the other seasonings
Cooking: Objective - prep veggies, sauté, seasonings (mostly), add tomatoes, then poach eggs
To start a sauté - heat pan on medium high
Add oil and swirl, then add onion and garlic to pan (should sizzle when added), add about a teaspoon of cumin seeds
Stir the onion and garlic in the beginning, important not to let your ingredients burn as it will turn very bitter
Sauté onions and garlic to start for 2 minutes
Hack: If the vegetables have high water content - add more salt to draw out the water content
Add the other veggies and turn heat up to medium + add pinch of salt to dehydrate
Add all seasonings
Cook for another 2 and a half minutes
Then add the tomatoes, fill can with water and add the extra (no waste)
Back on medium high heat
Continue to stir, what you're looking for is to be able to expose some of the pan and not have the sauce immediately push fluid back into the space - this indicates that its thickened enough, keep the lid off so that the fluid can evaporate
Cook for another 5-6 minutes until sauce has thickened
Create 4 holes around the pan in the sauce using a ladle for the eggs
Crack the eggs using a flat surface
Place the lid and keep at medium low heat
Cook for 1-2 minutes, steam will conduct heat back onto the top of the eggs
To poach the egg - the whites are cooked but the yolk is runny
You can try to jiggle the pan and look through the lid (if its clear) at the eggs and see if the egg whites are still fluid and jiggling
Once only the yolk jiggles and the whites are cooked (solid), you can cut the heat
(Optional) add shredded cheese to cool and add flavor
Serve - keep in mind sauce continues to heat the eggs so eat right away if you want runny yolks!