Shakshuka Paschiya – A Traditional Passover Dish

Shakshuka is a versatile signature dish in Tunisian cuisine. I’m ecstatic to see the steps that “mainstream” Shakshuka (the one based on tomato sauce) is taking in America and the popularity it gains. It was more than two years ago when I first shared our Family Tomato-Based Shakshuka on Afooda. Shakshuka has been a regular dish on our family’s menu for as long as I can remember. Shakshuka is also a popular dish throughout Israel. It continued to gain popularity and today earned a place of honor in Israeli mainstream cuisine. Shakshuka can be found not only in Israeli homes, but also in almost any restaurant or café all over Israel.

Nowadays, living in America, I am so proud of the growing Shakshuka awareness and the big Shakshuka love I am noticing in the last few years. It is so exciting to see food magazines, food shows and top chefs incorporate Shakshuka into their menu. In Tunisian cuisine, Shakshuka is one of the most versatile dishes; eggs are poached in many different sauces or ragouts. This time it is a perfect opportunity to share with you a unique Shakshuka version that is made especially for Pesach (Passover). “Shakshuka Paschiya” is a unique version made specifically during the days of Passover. Spring harvest ingredients such as green fresh fava beans are used to highlight springtime, and potatoes are used to compensate for the lack of bread. Together they give us this genius Shakshuka that makes the holiday Pesach even more special.

You will need:

3 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 small Onion

4 medium cloves of Garlic

2 tbsp. Tomato Paste

1½ cup of blanched fresh Fava Beans

10 baby potatoes

2-3 medium Tomatoes

½ cup Water

6 Eggs

1 tbsp. Harissa

1 tsp. Sweet Paprika

½ tsp. Cumin

½ tsp. Black Pepper

½ tsp. Salt

For Serving:

Fresh Parsley leaves

Goat Cheese

Let’s do this!

Fava Bean Memories…

Peeling fava beans was one of my jobs at my Savta’s (grandmother) kitchen as a young child, and I LOVED it! A big pile of fava beans and two bowls, one for the beans and the other for the waste. My sisters and I spent some quality time breaking the fava bean pods into two to discover the cute little green beans on the inside. It was so much fun and every so often we would be surprised by their size or shape… These days, I pass this annual task down to my children; seeing my kids engaged in kitchen work makes me so happy… If you have any partners that would like to join in at this fun stage, bring them over! 🙂

To remove the beans out of the pods, simply break the pod in half and use the connected “string” to open the pod even wider. Make sure to also remove the little connecting pieces that attach the beans to the pod.

Blanching Fava Beans:

Drop the fresh fava beans into a pot of boiling water. Allow the beans to boil for just 2-3 minutes.

Remove immediately to a bowl of ice-cold water. Fava beans have a thick casing. In long cooking such as stews the casing softens and the beans are eaten with the casing. In short cooking methods such as blanching, the casing stays thick and waxy and needs to be removed.

To remove the casing after blanching the fava beans, using a knife simply create a small seam located at the bottom of the bean and gently squeeze the bean out. It’s that simple!

Baby potatoes are perfect for this dish! Besides being so cute, 🙂 their flavor is rich and smooth and totally compensates for the lack of bread that is known with this Passover dish. Since there is no need to peel them, we need to wash the potatoes well.

Next, just cut the potatoes in half and set aside.

Roughly chop the onion and sauté it in olive oil over medium heat.

Add the tomato paste into the oil, mix and sauté it together – it all takes about 3-5 minutes.

Chop Garlic cloves into pieces.

Add the potato halves and garlic pieces and cook for couple of minutes.

Cut the tomatoes into cubes and add to the pot.

Mix well and add Harissa, cumin, black pepper and salt. Allow cooking on medium heat for a few minutes until the tomatoes start to melt into sauce.

Add half a cup of water. Cover the pot and cook for about 10 minutes on low to medium heat just until the potatoes start to soften and the sauce comes together. You may stir occasionally for even cooking.

Time to add the eggs, one egg at a time. When making Shakshuka, it is always a good idea to crack the egg into a separate small bowl before adding it to the sauce – just to be on the safe side.

Reveal the bottom of the pan each time you add an egg and arrange them around.

Add blanched peeled Fava Beans; try to spread them equally around.

Look at this beautiful green color!

Cover the pot and cook for 7-10 minutes on low heat until the egg whites set.

When the Shakshuka is cooked and ready, add finely chopped parsley leaves and serve warm ….yes with some Matzah! 🙂

Just look at this beauty! Another yummy serving is crumbling goat cheese right on top. The hot Shakshuka warms it up and the flavors are just AMAZING together.

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Quick Recipe:

Shakshuka Paschiya-

Precooking/Blanching fresh Fava Beans:
Remove beans from pods. Drop the Fava Beans into a pot of boiling water and cook for couple of minutes. Remove and cool the beans in a bowl of ice-cold water. Remove the thick skin that surrounds each bean by cutting a small seam at the bottom and squeezing the bean out of the case.
Use a large and wide saucepan.
Sauté roughly chopped Onions in Olive Oil on medium heat.
Add Tomato Paste mix and continue sautéing for a few more minutes.
Add halved Baby Potatoes and Garlic slices, stir and cook for couple of minutes.
Add cubed Tomatoes, Harissa (or chili flakes), Salt, Sweet Paprika, Black Pepper and Cumin.
Stir and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add Water, cover the pot and cook on low to medium heat for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add Eggs (one by one) revealing the bottom of the pan each time and arrange them around.
Add blanched pilled Fava Beans, cover the pot and cook for 7-10 minutes on low heat until the egg whites set.
Serve topped with fresh Parsley and crumbled Goat Cheese.