Shakshuka- eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce

Shakshuka or Shakshouka is a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers, onions and frequently spiced with cumin. The dish is of Tunisian origin, but it is very popular in the Middle East and North Africa. An Neapolitan Italian dish, eggs in purgatory or ouva in purgatorio, is a very similar dish of eggs poached in a tomato sauce. That dish, however, does not include the chili and cumin spices. Both are delicious.

Shakshuka means “a mixture” in Egyptian, Tunisian, and Libyan Arabic. Some people say the dish was originally called Chakchouka, a Berber word that mean vegetable ragout. This dish is a popular for breakfast, lunch and dinner; in Israel it is said to rival hummus and falafel as a national favorite, particularly in cold weather months.

I love Shakshuka; the dish is easy to make, spicy without being too hot, warm and filling, served with my perennial favorites bread and cheese, and the name itself is awfully fun to say. I hope you try it out!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 sweet onion, sliced

2 belle peppers (I used red and yellow, sliced

1 cup cooked broad beans, fave beans or lima beans

1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo

3 garlic coves, mixed

1 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 28 ounce can of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes, squeezed by hand

freshly ground black pepper

salt

4 eggs

Chopped parsley, for garnish

Bread and goat cheese crumbles and kalamata olives- for serving!

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet until the oil shimmers; add the onions and belle peppers. Cook until the vegetables are well browned, almost charred. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add the chipotle in adobo, paprika, cumin and coriander, and cook until fragrant, another 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and beans and cook for 10 minutes on a simmer, reducing the heat. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to the sauce.

Make 4 wells in the sauce with a large spoon. Break each egg into a bowl, one at a time, (this ensures no broken shells get into the sauce) and pour into a well. Season the eggs with salt and pepper, cover the pan with a lid, and cook until the whites are set and the yolks are runny, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and crumbled goat cheese and olives. Serve with a slice of bread. Enjoy!

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