Thursday, August 21, 2014

Vegetarian Eggplant Shakshuka

Hola babes!  I've been computerless this whole week, hence the silence over here.  My Macbook just got back from the repair shop, and hooray!  She works, and my pictures from this recipe I'm about to share were salvaged!

So by now you're probably wondering what the heck is shakshuka?!?  It kind of sounds like something you say after someone sneezes, right?  Before moving to Miami, I had never heard of shakshuka {pronounced shock-shoe-kah} either.  There is a pretty large Israeli community in my area, and my husband & I frequent a number of Israeli restaurants around here.  Essentially, shakshuka is a healthy Israeli dish comprised of stewed tomatoes, onions, peppers & middle eastern spices served with over easy style eggs & bread.  In Israel it's typically eaten at breakfast, but is perfectly acceptable to eat all throughout the day.

I CRAVE shakshuka.  When we traveled to Israel earlier this year, I was eating it daily.  It's healthy, hearty, and the flavors of this dish work so perfectly together.  If you've never tried shakshuka before, I am absolutely thrilled to introduce you one of my all time favorite dishes!

Enjoy!




Ingredients

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion cut into 1"strips
1 red or green bell pepper, cut into 2" strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small eggplant (or about 2 1/2 cups), cut into 2 inch strips
1 small jalapeno, diced
1 32oz can of whole peeled tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
salt & fresh ground black pepper
3-4 eggs
Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped for garnish (about 2 tbsp) 
Crusty bread or pita if desired


Directions

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion & garlic and saute until it begins to soften & becomes fragrant.  Next, add in eggplant, bell pepper & jalapeno and saute until soft (about 7-10 minutes).

Carefully {nothing splatters worse than canned tomatoes} add the canned tomatoes, and the tomato paste to the pan.  Stir to combine, gently breaking open the tomatoes with the back of your spoon.

Stir in paprika, cumin, salt & pepper {to taste} and allow the mixture to simmer down and thicken, about 20 minutes.

Once the sauce has thickened, reduce heat to medium low & crack the eggs one at a time directly over your tomato mixture.  Make sure to space your eggs out evenly in the pan.  Cover with a lid, and allow your eggs to cook "over easy" style in the sauce.  Since I like my eggs cooked a little more "over medium", I allow my eggs to cook for around 10 minutes.

Remove from heat, garnish with parsley, and serve with a side of bread or pita.




8 comments:

  1. Amazing pics, you really are talented!

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    1. Awww you are so sweet! I swear, it's just a good lens :)

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  2. Absolutely Delicious looking!! Thanks for sharing Andy!

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  3. This sounds delicious!

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  4. Your photos are always so beautiful!! I always order this for breakfast when I'm out and see it on a menu! Love! But yes, you deff have a MAJOR talent for photography and styling :) xo

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    1. Thanks so much, Meghan! Someone else said that above, and I swear it's just a good camera lens ;)

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