shakshuka for Brunch

This weekend we had a friend from NY visiting us. We know each other for 7 years, he is really a sweet heart. So we went all over Los Angeles, and Malibu, and of course we were talking about food and family recipes, he also loves to cook, and have many delicious authentic Turkish recipes, that got me all excited. So he offered to cook us brunch, his famous “Shakshouka” a North African dish consisting of poached or fried eggs cooked in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers, onions, and spices (often including cumin, paprika, and chilies), and its served with a crusty bread. Usually I’m very strict  about MY kitchen, but surprisingly he was very neat and organized, so  I felt relaxed to let him do his thing. And it was really delicious, I was impressed.

shakshuka

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 teaspoon jalapeno minced
• 1 red  bell peppers roughly chopped
• 1  green bell pepper roughly chopped
• 1 orange bell pepper roughly chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper roughly chopped
• 5 cremini mushrooms roughly chopped
• 8 fresh beefsteak tomatoes roughly chopped
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon of thyme
• 1 teaspoon  salt or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon freshly grounded black pepper
• ½ cup of parsley to sprinkle in the end.
• 4 or 6 large eggs

Directions:

Place large sauté pan (I used cast iron pan, my favorite) over medium heat when the pan is hot add the olive oil.

Add onion and sauté until lightly browned.

Add garlic, jalapeno and bell peppers, and sauté 2 minutes  or more.

Add fresh tomatoes, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add paprika, cumin, salt, pepper. Stir for 1 minute.

Add tomato juice and bring to a full boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until mixture is very thick and has little liquid left, about 1 hour; stir occasionally to make sure vegetables do not stick to bottom of pan, and add more tomato juice as needed. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Gently crack eggs into pan, taking care not to break yolks. Simmer until whites solidify but yolks remain runny, about 8 minutes, or as per personal preference (I would put this under the broiler for a couple more minutes because I don’t like undercooked egg whites).Sprinkle some parsley in the end for freshness.

Ladle equal portions of vegetables and eggs into 4 serving bowls. Sprinkle with zaatar to taste, and serve with warm crusty  bread. I had some olives, cucumber, grape tomatoes, and a plate with humus sprinkled with zaatar. On the side.

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