Eat.Live.Blog.

My grandfather used to make us a breakfast we called “Opa’s Special Eggs”. It was a scramble with bacon, onions and tomatoes…and when Opa made it, it was the best thing on earth. I had never seen another dish like it, until I walked into Inna’s Kitchen in Newton. Inna’s called the dish Shakshuka, and it was a skillet, similar to Opa’s Special Eggs, and without bacon. It was delicious.

Come to find out, Shakshuka is a traditional middle eastern baked egg dish, whose name loosely translates into “all shook up“. The dish is a delicious, vegetable base with just enough cumin and paprika to deepen the flavor. If you time the baking of the eggs just perfectly, the result will be a nice runny yolk that adds the perfect bit of richness to the veggie base.

This dish is perfect if you are having guests over for breakfast. I imagine it would be very easy to make the base in advance, and set it aside. 8 minutes before you wish to serve your guests, just add your eggs and bake. It is very little fuss and a whole lot of deliciousness!

Shakshuka Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion (chopped finely)
• 1 small red pepper (chopped finely)
• 1/2 jalapeno (seeded, chopped finely)
• 2 garlic cloves (chopped finely)
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 medium vine-ripe tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 large eggs

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
• In a medium oven-proof skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat
• Add onion, pepper and jalapeno, reduce heat to medium-low
• Slowly cook onion mixture until soft, about 20 minutes (if it starts to brown, turn heat to low)
• Meanwhile, place tomatoes in a food processor or blender, and pulse 5 – 8 times until mostly broken up, but not purified
• Increase heat under skillet to medium-high
• Add garlic and cook until garlic is soft, about 3 minutes
• Add cumin & paprika and cook until it becomes fragrant, about 1 minute
• Add tomatoes to the skillet
• Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to maintain simmer for 10 minutes
• Stir occasionally during the 10 minutes
• Turn heat off and sprinkle parmesan over the mixture
• Slowly crack eggs over the top of the skillet, making sure not to break the yolk
• Place skillet in oven and cook for 7 – 8 minutes, or until whites of eggs are solid and yolks are still “wobbly”
• Remove skillet from oven and serve (in skillet if possible)
• Enjoy!