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, so they say.
It’s a humble dish—essentially, just eggs cracked into a skillet tomato sauce and poached until barely set—but for some reason it always garners oohs and aahs.
Now how about breakfast for dinner?
No more waffles. “Shakshuka it up!”
Most shakshuka recipes I first perused called for spicy peppers or jalepenos. Not only did I not have these items on hand, you KNOW how I love to mix things up a bit – and make every recipe my own.
Being that the root of the recipe is middle eastern, I opted to add it a little eggplant and a little zucchini … and sopped up the delicious juices with a bit of jasmine rice.
Also warned about the acidity of cast iron skillets not holding up to the tomatoes, I felt rebellious and had the desire to prove this notion wrong.
Shakshuka Eggs
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 large zucchini, chopped
1/2 medium eggplant, chopped
sea salt
20 oz. crushed tomatoes (in sauce)
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. caraway seeds
1/2 tsp. Cyprus lemon salt
1/2 tsp. Hungarian paprika
1/4 tsp. chipotle powder
4 pastured eggs
freshly ground pepper
2 Tbs. fresh lemon thyme
After chopping the veggies, arrange on a kitchen towel and liberally salt. Allow to “sweat” for 15-20 minutes. This process removes excess moisture, as well as the bitterness often found in eggplant.
Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet. Add the zucchini and eggplant and sauté over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and sauté for another 2 minutes, stirring in the spices.
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.
Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and fresh lemon thyme to serve.
