Red Shakshuka

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Shakshuka is the ultimate Middle-Eastern breakfast dish. But it doesn't just have to be for breakfast, enjoy an egg cooked in a thick red sauce and topped with feta cheese any time of the day. Serve with flatbread and you'll be scraping the pan clean and asking for more.

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook time: 20 min

Yield: 2-3 servings

Ingredients

Cheese Topping

• 50g feta cheese

• 2 tbsp freshly freshly chopped parsley or dried parsley

• 1/2 tsp chile flakes

• 1 tsp zataar spice

• 1 tsp crushed coriander seeds

• 2 tbsp olive oil

  
  

  Tomato Base

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 onion, quartered and sliced thinly

• 1/2 red bell pepper (or yellow or orange), cut into bite size slices

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, ground

• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed

• 1/2 tsp tomato sauce or paste

• 1/4 tsp paprika

• 4 roma tomatoes, diced or 540mL can diced tomatoes with liquid

• 1 tsp harissa sauce

• 1/3 cup water

• salt and pepper

• 2 -3 eggs

  
  

Directions

Cheese Topping

1. Begin by crumbling the feta cheese into a small bowl. Add the parsley, chili flakes, crushed coriander and olive oil. Stir to coat everything evenly. Cover and set aside.

2. I strongly recommend making this ahead of time and storing, refrigerated, in a resealable container for a few days.

Tomato Base

1. Heat a medium pan over medium heat. Once warm add the olive oil and swirl it around the pan. Add the onion and cook until softened and slightly translucent.

2. Add the bell pepper and cook both for another 5 min until everything is soft and beginning to break down.

3. While the onion and pepper cook, prepare the spice mixture by combining the garlic, cumin, tomato sauce, paprika, and coriander in a small bowl and set aside.

4. In a separate bowl combine the tomatoes, water, harissa sauce, 1/2 tsp salt and freshly ground pepper, set aside.

5. Add the spices to the pan and stir them around as they heat up and sizzle. Then add in the bowl of tomatoes and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.

6. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring the simmering tomatoes until they break down and form a thickened sauce.

7. At this point you can transfer the sauce to a resealable container, let cool and store in a refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Shakshuka Preparation

1. Divide the tomato base between 2-3 smaller cast iron pans or keep in one single pan.

2. Cover and heat the tomato base until it is warmed through and gently simmering over medium-low heat.

3. Create 2-3 divets, evenly spaced in you pan, and crack an egg into each one.

4. Cover and cook the eggs to desired doneness, I prefer it with the whites set and the yolk still soft and runny.

5. Right before serving, sprinkle with feta cheese topping and chile flakes.

6. Serve with a warm flatbread like naan or pita.

Zhuzh it up!

• The tomato base can be seasoned any way you like. Play around with spices, add some greens and make it your own.

• Check out the recipe for Green Shakshuka, a very different flavour base for cooking eggs in.

• Make this recipe as small or large as you want. The tomato base can be made ahead of time for quick and easy re-heating & service. I prefer when all the flavours sit overnight.

• If you've got time make your own zataar flabread using this recipe!

This amazing recipe was adapted from Falastin cookbook's Scrambled Red Shakshuka