SHAKing up SHAKshuka!

Shakshuka has been growing in popularity for a number of years here in the United States and around the world, and and for good reason. It is healthy, easy, beautiful, and beyond delicious. "Shakshuka" (also spelled shakshouka or chakchouka) is the Arabic word for "mixed together". Many would say that the dish originated in northern Africa (Tunisia) however there are also claims that the dish originated in Libya, Morocco, Turkey, Algeria, and Yemen. Shakshuka is often served for breakfast, but is just as good any time of day. The basic recipe involves eggs being poached in tomatoes, vegetables, herbs, and spices. It is often a vegetarian dish but it can certainly be made with meat, as you will see below.

I have made Shakshuka several times, following trusted recipes, but today I decided to branch out a bit and experiment with a new recipe and flavors of my own. Regardless of what you are cooking, it is always wise to prepare your ingredients ahead of time so that they are ready when you need them. I chopped two onions, two jalapeño peppers, two fennel bulbs, nine cloves of garlic, and a handful of fresh parsley.

I also had my other ingredients ready to go which included chopped and crushed tomatoes, tomato purée, Calabrian chili peppers, harissa, smoked paprika, ground coriander, ground cumin, sugar, salt, and pepper.

As I mentioned, Shakshuka is often vegetarian but I decided to add meat to mine. I began by browning a mixture of country sausage for a bit of sweetness and chorizo for a bit of heat.

Chorizo tends to be greasy which I did not want in the finished product, so once the meat was cooked through, I removed it to a paper towel-lined bowl, poured out the excess grease, and wiped the pan with a paper towel.

I added some extra virgin olive oil and cooked the onions, fennel, and pepper until soft. I only seasoned with salt and pepper at this point. I added a tablespoon of chopped garlic and cooked for another minute.

I added the diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes (San Marzano is the best), tomato purée, a spoonful of harissa (great smokiness and flavor), Calabrian chili peppers (only about a tablespoon because they pack some serious heat), coriander, cumin, smoked paprika, and a tablespoon of sugar which is needed to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. I also added the meat and let it simmer on low for around fifteen minutes.

I made wells in the mixture and using a small bowl, carefully added the eggs. I let it cook for several minutes to set the bottoms of the eggs, and then I put the lid on the pot so that the tops of the eggs would cook gently enough to set the whites, while keeping the yolks runny.

To finish, I added the chopped parsley, crumbled feta cheese, and served along with toasted whole wheat pita bread. Perfect start to the day!

Oh and in addition, I simultaneously cooked a second (much larger) pot of the same Shakshuka tomato mixture for a future NEW recipe. Stay tuned in the coming weeks!