Shakshooka

Who doesn't love breakfast for dinner once in a while?

While exploring a great Israeli food site I found, I came across this breakfast recipe and simply had to make it, even though my blog focuses primarily upon dinners. Only the eggs make it seem more like a morning meal; tomatoes, onions, garlic, goat cheese, herbs...sounds like ingredients for a yummy supper to me!

This spicy dish, also spelled shakshouka or shakshuka (the word means "all mixed up" in Hebrew), has Tunisian roots in Israel but is popular in many countries throughout the region and varies slightly depending upon where it's made. It typically gets its heat from chili peppers or zhug, a Middle Eastern hot sauce with cilantro and other seasonings. I wasn't able to get my hands on any zhug, so I used red pepper flake instead.

You're meant to sop up the sauce with crusty bread but I found it hearty enough to skip that. Plus, I'd also gotten distracted by the nightly news report, so my sauce thickened and caramelized a bit and there wasn't much liquid left anyway. But, that certainly didn't affect the taste. This is a simple yet satisfying meal that's inexpensive to boot! Definitely, a winner.

Here's how I made it:

Olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
5 plum tomatoes, diced
4 Tbsp goat cheese, crumbled
4 eggs
Fresh parsley, minced
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and saute the onions and garlic till softened. Add the red pepper and cook a couple minutes before adding the tomatoes. Bring this mixture to a boil. Create 4 holes and crack the eggs into them. Sprinkle with goat cheese and parsley. Cover the skillet, leaving a crack so some steam can escape, and continue to boil till the eggs cook to your preference.