A Recipe for Shakshuka
Have you ever had shakshuka? Have you ever heard of it? Until recently, I had not heard of it. But then I saw it on the Barefoot Contessa cooking show and I was hooked! Shashuka is a dish of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce with peppers and onions. Shakshuka originated in North Africa and became very popular in the Middle East. It is a staple of Tunisian, Libyan, Algerian, and Moroccan cuisines traditionally served up in a cast iron pan with bread to mop up the sauce (which is most important).
Shakshuka means “a mixture” or “shaken” in Tunisian dialect. This particular shakshuka recipe with feta is a mixture of onions, fennel, different types of peppers, and tomatoes. Shakshuka variations abound. Shakshuka is a healthy dish because it is basically a tomato and vegetable sauce with poached eggs on top. Recently, Mr. G. Q. and I were in NYC at the St. Regis hotel. I had this three mornings out of five! It’s delicious! This Easter morning, I will warm up the sauce (that I will make several days earlier for my convenience) before my family arrives and then, slide the eggs in to poach for 15 minutes once they arrive.
Recipe for Shakshuka with Feta
Ingredients:
3 T olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)
2 cups chopped fennel bulb, top, and core removed (1 medium)
1 Holland orange bell pepper, seeded and 1/2-inch diced
1 poblano pepper, seeded and 1/2-inch diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 T minced garlic (3 cloves)
1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
1 (28-ounce) can of diced tomatoes and juices, such as San Marzano
1/2 cup strained or pureed tomatoes, such as Pomi
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 extra-large eggs
5 ounces, feta, crumbled
2 T roughly chopped fresh parsley
Whole-wheat pita bread, toasted, for serving
The fennel bulb with the top removed as well as the core of the bulb.
Cut-up orange bell peppers.
A Poblano and jalapeno pepper.
Steps:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
- Heat the oil in a 12 inch ovenproof saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel, bell pepper, poblano pepper, and jalapeno pepper and cook over medium to medium-high heat for 10 to12 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender and starting to brown.
- Stir in the garlic and paprika and cook for one minute.
- Add the diced tomatoes, strained tomatoes, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of black pepper.
- Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. (Pro-tip: I do the recipe to this point several days before, just for my convenience and ease of entertaining on Easter morning).
- Off the heat, carefully break the eggs, one at a time, into a small bowl, and slide them into the vegetable mixture.
- Crumble the feta around the eggs, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the egg whites are firm but the yolks are still runny.
- Sprinkle with the parsley and serve from the pan with the pita bread.
- Enjoy!
Above is the yummy sauce, before I add the eggs.
Above is the dish all ready for the poaching of the eggs in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Above is the gorgeous dish all ready for brunch!
This is such a delicious and fun dish to make for Easter brunch or for any dinner. I LOVE it! So do my grown kids! Please give it a try and let me know in the comments below what you thought of it.
Happy Easter! Happy Passover! Happy Spring!
XO,
Dr. Julie
PS Here are a few more posts for you to enjoy:
Delicious Easter Sugar Cookies!
How to Build an Easy Easter Tablescape
Yummy Chicken Marbella Recipe to Make Ahead
Four Cute Spring Dresses
Dr. Julie’s Fun Friday Finds – Cute Spring Dresses
Dermatologist Advice for Anti-Aging Products
This Dermatologist’s Make-up Routine and Favorite Products
A Recipe for Shakshuka
Recipe details
- 6 servings
- Prep time: 15 Minutes Cook time: 35 Minutes Total time: 50 min
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