Shakshuka Recipes

New York Times Version

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
⅛ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1 (28-ounce) can whole plumtomatoes with juices, coarsely chopped
¾ teaspoon salt, more as needed
¼ teaspoon black pepper, more as needed
5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 1/4 cups)
6 large eggs
Chopped cilantro, for serving
Hot sauce, for serving


PREPARATION
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook gently until very soft, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes; stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne, and cook 1 minute. Pour in tomatoes and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in crumbled feta.
Gently crack eggs into skillet over tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until eggs are just set, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with hot sauce.

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Dave Leibovitz's Shakshuka

3 to 4 servings

Adapted from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi and Secrets of the Best Chefs by Adam Roberts.

I’ve made Shakshuka a number of ways; in individual baking dishes, so everyone gets their own portion, to using a large skillet, so folks can eat communally. I’ve given indications for how to do both.

Because everyone likes their eggs cooked differently (which is why when I was cooking in restaurants, I refused to work breakfast shifts – talk about stress!), keep an eye on the Shakshuka as its cooking and use the times indicated as guidelines; various factors can affect cooking times and it’s hard to say precisely how long they will cook. When served, the eggs should be still runny so that the yolks mingle with the spicy sauce.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 – 1 chile pepper (or to taste), stemmed, sliced in half and deseeded, finely diced/minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika, smoked or sweet
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed, or 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 pounds (1kg) ripe tomatoes, cored and diced, or two 14-ounce cans of diced or crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon red wine or cider vinegar
• 1 cup (20g) loosely packed greens, such as radish greens, watercress, kale, Swiss chard, or spinach, coarsely chopped
• 4 ounces (about 1 cup, 115g) feta cheese, cut in generous, bite-sized cubes
• 4 to 6 eggs

1. In a wide skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook for 5 minutes, until soft and wilted. Add the chile pepper, the salt, pepper, and spices. Cook for a minute, stirring constantly, to release their fragrance.

2. Add the fresh or canned tomatoes, tomato paste, honey, and vinegar, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened somewhat but is still loose enough so that when you shake the pan it sloshes around. (Fresh tomatoes may take a little longer to cook than canned.) Stir in the chopped greens.

3. If you want to finish the Shakshuka on the stovetop, turn off the heat and press the cubes of feta into the tomato sauce. With the back of a spoon, make 6 indentations in the sauce. Crack an egg into each indentation, then drag a spatula gently through the egg whites so it mingles a bit with the tomato sauce, being careful not to disturb the yolks.

Turn the heat back on so the sauce is at a gentle simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes, taking some of the tomato sauce and basting the egg whites from time-to-time. Cover, and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until the eggs are cooked to your liking.

4. To finish them individually, preheat the oven to 375ºF (180ºC.) Divide the sauce into 6 baking dishes and press the feta cubes into the sauce. Set the baking dishes on a baking sheet, make an indentation in each, and crack and egg into the center. Bake until the eggs are cooked to your liking, basting the whites with some of the sauce midway during baking, which will take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes – but begin checking them sooner to get them just right. If the yolks begin to get a little firm on top before the whites are cooked, drape a sheet of foil over them, but avoid having it touch the yolks.

Serve with lots of crusty bread for scraping up the sauce.

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Saveur's Version
This classic Israeli breakfast, a dish of Libyan origin, can be served as a main course for any meal of the day.

SERVES 4-6

Ingredients

• 5 Anaheim chiles or 3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tbsp. paprika
• 1 (28-oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
• 8 eggs
• 1⁄2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Warm < a href="http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Pita-Bread">pita, for serving
• 1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt, to taste

Instructions

Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Add chiles and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.
Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands. Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1⁄2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 20 minutes. Season sauce with salt.
Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce's surface. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with pita, for dipping.

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The Simplest Recipe...

Ingredients

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)
1 cup cubed tofu or feta (optional)
6 eggs
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cloves garlic, roughly diced
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 lbs fresh tomatoes, unpeeled and cut in quarters, or one 28 oz can

Directions

Place the tomatoes, garlic, salt, paprika, tomato paste, and vegetable oil in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, over low heat until thick, for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ladle the tomato sauce into a greased 12″ frying pan. Bring to a simmer and break the eggs over the tomatoes. Gently break the yolks with a fork. If adding feta, tofu, and parsley, sprinkle them on top. Cover and continue to cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the eggs are set. Bring the frying pan directly to the table. Set it on a trivet and spoon out the shakshuka.

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Einat Admony's Recipe (Taim and Balaboosta Chef / Owner)

EPICURIOUS FEBRUARY 2014

In Israel the word shakshuka is synonymous with breakfast. It's best with a slice or two of challah bread to sop up the juices. This is a version of my dad's recipe, except that he used to mix the eggs together, because my older sister refused to eat the egg whites. Here is the recipe I prefer.

YIELD: Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
• 1 large jalapeño chile, cored, seeded, and chopped
• 7 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground caraway
• 1/2 bunch Swiss chard, stemmed and chopped, or spinach
• 8 to 12 large eggs

PREPARATION

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and sauté over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the bell peppers and jalapeño and cook just until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and sauté for another 2 minutes.

2. Slowly pour in the tomatoes. Stir in the bay leaf, sugar, salt, paprika, cumin, pepper, and caraway and let the mixture simmer for 20 minutes. Layer the Swiss chard leaves on top.

3. Crack the eggs into the tomato mixture. Cover and simmer for approximately 10 minutes or until the whites of the eggs are no longer translucent.

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