Shakshuka

Shakshuka! What a fabulous word! I love saying it. Shakshuka!

I also love the word Schenectady…but I digress.

What is shakshuka, you ask?  Shakshuka is a dish of eggs baked in a tomato sauce.

Mexicans have their huevos rancheros. Italians have eggs in purgatory. North Africans have shakshuka.

This is a perfect brunch dish. Be sure to serve it with lots of crusty bread to sop up the flavourful sauce.

Now I have to be honest here. I didn't have feta so I subbed with queso fresco. It was just as fab!

Shakshuka

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cups of crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
6 eggs
crumbled feta cheese
cilantro to garnish

Place a large pan over medium-high heat and toast the cumin seeds until fragrant. Add the olive oil,

onion, garlic and chill flakes and cook until onion is soft. Add the cherry and crushed tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Make a little well in the sauce and crack an egg in it. Continue with the remaining eggs. Sprinkle a little salt on each egg and cover the pan with lid. Cook on low heat 10-12 minutes. Remove the lid and sprinkle with some feta and cover again a couple minutes until the feta has melted. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

m xo