Shakshuka is a traditional dish from the Middle East. From Tunisia to Israel, it is appreciated and usually cooked for breakfast, but it has now found a place at lunch and dinner.
Shakshuka means exactly “everything mixed” or “mixed up”, and that’s exactly how it looks, in a skillet where the many ingredients are well mixed, and all topped up with the eggs cooked by the gentle simmer of the sauce.
Traditionally, we find the flavours of pepper, cumin, paprika and chilli, and like any traditional recipe, Shakshuka can be found cooked with various combinations of flavours. The choice is yours to create the version you prefer.
Ingredients
For 4 portions, preparation time 5 minutes, cooking time 20 minutes:
- 8 eggs (4 if you prefer one egg per person)
- 400g chopped tomato pulp
- 200g fresh cherry tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 red onion
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp cumin
- Hot chilli
- Salt and pepper
Method
1 – In a skillet, heat a little bit of oil and add a garlic clove and finely chopped onion. Cook for a few minutes, then add the paprika and cumin.
2 – After toasting the spices for a few minutes, add the washed and halved cherry tomatoes, chilli pepper to taste, salt and pepper. Pour in the chopped tomato and cook for at least 10 minutes. Let the sauce absorb the flavour from the spices.
3 – Taste the sauce and season with salt, pepper and spices to make it perfect for your palate. Off the heat, add the eggs one by one and bake at 180° C for the time necessary to cook the eggs (about 5-10 minutes). The Shakshuka will be ready when the yolk has cooked just as you like it.
Tips
– If you do not have a pan that can go both on the stove and in the oven, you can cook the sauce in a pan and then transfer everything to a baking sheet and add the eggs before baking.
– For the sauce to be successful, let it cook with the spices for the time necessary to make it lose its acidity.
