I love food shopping and it is naturally my house assigned job; however, my husband must have found the joy in food shopping (or maybe just the joy in escaping), since recently he has been almost insisting on handling this weekly house task. So, I give him a very detailed list and the baby and let the boys spend some quality time on a Sunday morning.
When they come back, I obviously like to see that all the items on the list made it home, but I also kind of love to unexpectedly find some “off the list” items in the shopping bags. Besides the surprise effect, I think any woman can relate to the wonderful and proud feeling knowing that her man thought of something extra (…and this can actually apply to anything – hint hint). Aside from appreciating the gesture, when I see an “off the list” item, I know it carries a message…
We actually call this bread “Shakshuka Bread”
One of the repeated “off the list” items I often find is the store’s signature bread, which has the best contrast between the outside and the inside creating the perfect texture for a bread. Even though it’s AMAZING, this bread almost never makes it on to my “standard” shopping list, so finding it in the shopping bag carries only one specific message: “Shakshuka for dinner please!”
So Shakshuka is for dinner here tonight, and if you love bread, and red sauce and eggs, it should be your dinner as well…
To make it “family style” (serving 3-6) you are going to need a large and wide saucepan that can contain all the sauce and still have room for the eggs to be arranged around. You can also make it as individual dishes (two eggs per person); using very small pans- I noticed kitchen stores have some very cute colorful ones available nowadays…
You will also need:
Olive Oil (about 3 tbs.)
1 small Onion
4 cloves of Garlic
1 tbsp. Tomato Paste
2 cups Italian Crushed Tomatoes in a can Or 10 sweet ripe Tomatoes diced
6 Eggs
1½ tsp. Harissa or a ½ tsp. Dry red chili flakes
½ cup Water
2 tsp. Sweet Paprika
(1 tsp. Sweet Paprika in oil – optional)
1 tsp. Black pepper
¼ tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
a little more Cumin and Coarse Sea Salt to top each egg yolk
Bread of your choice…
Let’s get to work:
It all starts with “…this red, red pottage…”(Genesis 25:30). Well, maybe not exactly ‘pottage’, but it is VERY red 🙂
Start by chopping the onions thinly.
Generously coat the pan with olive oil and sauté onions for a few minutes on medium heat until they become slightly golden.
Mince the garlic and add to the onions.
Remember our beautiful Harissa?
Add Harissa or chili flakes mixing together and continue sautéing for about couple more minutes.
Add tomato paste and move it around every so often, allowing it to fry it in the oil for about 3 minutes.
Add crushed tomatoes (or your fresh diced tomatoes), sugar, salt and spices: dry sweet paprika and sweet paprika in oil, black pepper and cumin.
Add ½ cup of water. Don’t forget to stir often and let cook for about ten minutes on medium to low heat. Let’s thicken this great tomato sauce.
a little tip:
I actually find myself using the Italian canned crushed tomatoes way more often than fresh tomatoes. It contains great quality tomatoes, which are not always easy to find ripe, red and sweet year around.
So as far as making tomato sauce, my tomato rule is- pick can over fresh tomatoes if:
1. You use a great brand
2. Make sure there is only ONE ingredient in the can- Fresh red ripe tomatoes and nothing else.
When the sauce is ready it is time to add the eggs. I suggest cracking the eggs one at a time first to a small bowl before adding them (one at a time again) to the sauce.
Create a “hole” in your sauce revealing the bottom of your saucepan and add the eggs arranging them all around your saucepan – now, you see why you need a large and wide pan!? Once all eggs are arranged around in the sauce, cover the pot and cook on a very low heat for about 7 minutes.
Uncover the pot and add a little salt and cumin on each yolk, it will make them look pretty and will add a little flavor of course.
You may cook the shakshuka now for a few more minutes (no longer than 5)
All together the eggs should be cooked in the sauce until the egg whites set (for about 10-12 minutes). The rest of the cooking time depends on how you like your yolks. I like my yolks just a tiny bit runny so I can sop them together with the sauce with a nice piece of bread. If you like them a bit more solid (like my husband and kids) cook your Shakshuka just a few minutes longer – it’ll do the trick.
Before serving add chopped fresh parsley because everything tastes better with a little chopped parsley on top…
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Quick Recipe:
Shakshuka-
Use a large and wide saucepan.
Sauté Onions in Olive Oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes
Add Garlic, Harissa (or chili flakes), and Tomato Paste and cook for 5 minutes.
Add Tomatoes, Sugar, Salt, Sweet Paprika, Paprika, Black Pepper and Cumin.
Add Water and cook (and stir) on medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Add Eggs (one by one) revealing the bottom of the pan each time.
Cook covered for 7 minutes on low heat until the egg whites set.
Uncover and Add Salt and Cumin on each yolk.
Cook for additional 5 minutes on low heat to get the Eggs just the way you like them.
Add chopped Fresh Parsley on top.
Serve with your favorite Bread.
What time is dinner?
You’re making, I’m there! 🙂
For the benefit of others who might want to know:
I asked, “I can’t find sweet red pepper flakes in local stores, so I’ll be substituting with fresh red bell pepper. Also, I’m trying to figure out the difference between hot red pepper flakes and chili pepper flakes. Do you happen to know?”
afooda answered: “If you are making Harissa-
You must use dry peppers whether they are hot or sweet. Chili peppers that are popular and do come in a dry form are one kind of hot peppers … Depends on their kind, they might be too hot for the Harissa… The popular dry red hot peppers for this task will be Fresno or Mirasol: the difference between them and chills is slightly in taste but mostly in heat level. If you cannot find them and dry sweet peppers as well at your local stores try online: https://www.penzeys.com/search/#?q=Dry%20red%20pepper
This is one option, but if you google “dry pepper flakes” you will find other options…”
“Just remember for the Harissa use just dry peppers NOT fresh.”
“If you are making the Shakshuka-
And you don’t have the Harissa, don’t worry. As the recipe says you may sub it with a few chili flakes. If you want to skip the heat all together, you can by avoiding the Harissa or chili flakes. If you are interested in adding fresh sweet red peppers to your Shakshuka, you also can. the taste will be slightly different but still authentic. Add thinly sliced red peppers a few minutes after you sauté the onions…”
I see you specify using only dry sweet peppers for harissa, but I made the recipe in Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem cookbook and it calls for using a sweet fresh red pepper… broiled till blackened, and then peeled. I made this recipe, and it was actually quite tasty, though I am not Tunisian and so cannot comment on its authenticity. Your comments welcome
So glad you got to make this delicious dish! Yes, Harissa is made with dry peppers (sweet and hot). Even though I got to experience other Tunisian families’ Harissa, I never seen or tried Harissa that was made with fresh peppers; I’m assuming it will affect the texture and shelf life since ‘fresh’ adds a lot of moisture, but my thoughts are that it will probably still be delicious 🙂 …As far as the Shakshuka, I know (and love) versions that add sweet fresh peppers to it. I say, if you like how it taste- go for it!
You suggest 1 tsp. Sweet paprika in oil (optional). That sounds good to me. At what stage of the cooking process should it be added?
I LOVE paprika in oil, I think it adds so much depth to flavors…If you choose to use it, add it with all other spices after adding the crush tomatoes.
And here’s another little tip:
You can also create your own paprika in oil instead of buying it – just add canola oil to your dry sweet paprika in equal ratio and voila! 🙂
I have read that Shakshuka is traditionally a “dipping dish” with breads. But I still wonder, is it acceptable to serve it with silverware? And if so, is a fork or a spoon the more traditional choice?
Hey Amy,
Yes, when it comes to Shakshuka, it is all about the dipping and tearing the bread…
Having said that, I always serve it with utensils (usually a fork) – You got to have some fork help 🙂 I haven’t seen it served with a spoon too often, but it seem like a good idea as well… My general Shakshuka feelings though is that there are no major rules- serve it with whatever makes you have the yummiest experience! Enjoy…
I made your wonderful Maa,’kuda, had to make Shakshuka, you had me at Harrisa. Did not use tomato paste, too bitter for me, used my home grown tomatoes, used Sweet Vidalia Onions finely chopped. Used my own home made bread, also used home made tortillas. and salsa. LOVED it, thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes.
Thank you so much for sharing this with me! Your combination sounds delicious and Shakshuka is the perfect versatile dish to explore and get creative with…
Keep up all the great cooking! I’m waiting to hear what you’ll try next♥️
Huppit
For me home-made harissa is the key to this and any other North African or Middle Eastern dish. Looks great and can’t wait to try your recipe. Thanks! Tastefully yours,
Mark
Thank you Mark! I absolutely agree, Harissa gives that unique layer of flavor to so many dishes…