Shakshuka is a type of dish where you cook eggs on top of vegetables. Traditionally, this recipe uses onions, peppers and tomatoes as the delicious bed where to eggs are cooked over, but this recipe allows for a certain level of creativity.
Depending on what is available each season, you can substitute ingredients! For example, you could include spinach and butternut squash or you can include any leftover vegetables from roasts.
I really enjoy this dish because it includes a large amount of vegetables and the eggs are cooked more healthy since they are not cooked directly in oil.
Shakshuka
Makes 2 servings, takes 45 minutes
1 Onion
1 Bell Pepper
2 Tomatoes
2 Bay Leaves
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
4 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Cumin
Slice the onion and pepper thinly but evenly. I generally try to slice the onion and pepper fairly small because they caramelize much quicker and if they are evenly cut it’s much easier for them to cook evenly. The tomatoes should be sliced into eight equal pieces.
After the chopping has been complete, add the oil and cumin into a pan and turn to heat to medium. You want to let the cumin toast until you smell the cumin more pungently. Add the onion and make sure the cumin and oil coat the onion evenly. Let the onion caramelize lightly - keep stirring until the onions turn translucent and you can smell sweet caramelized onions.
Add the chopped pepper and continue to stir. You want the pepper to begin to soften and the onion to turn a deep golden colour. Once the desired colour and texture is reached for the onion and pepper, add the tomato and the bay leaves. After about 2 to 3 minutes you will notice that the tomatoes have softened, start to break them up with a spoon. You will notice that the mixture will take the consistency of a sauce as opposed to stir fried vegetables.
Turn the heat down to low and add the eggs on top of the sauce. In essence you will be making sunny side up eggs on top of the tomatoes, pepper and onion sauce. Cover the eggs with a lid and set a timer for 5 minutes. Do not remove the lid until the 5 minutes are up!
After the 5 minutes are up, remove the lid and check the consistency of the eggs. You are looking for the egg whites part to have turned white. Depending on how you like your eggs, you can add an extra 6 minutes for a well done egg or add 1 or 2 more minutes and continue to check the consistency of the egg yolk by pressing on it gently with a spoon. If the consistency is hard you have a hardboiled egg or if it’s springy the yolk is still liquid.
Make this recipe using local Ontario eggs, tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Find the closest farm that sells those products by click on the product name.
– Andreea Nicoara
