Shakshuka Shake-Up

Last Friday, out of the blue, my husband and I were talking about a lunch we had 11 years ago at a Tel Aviv restaurant called Dr. Shakshuka.

On Saturday, my copy of a fabulous new(ish) cookbook called Plenty came from Amazon, and there on page 87 was a recipe for the Dr.’s very own shakshuka, an Israeli dish of tomatoes, peppers and onions with eggs fried on top. 

On Sunday, our friend Todd, who is in Israel with his family, uploaded a picture of his lunch to Facebook. What was he eating? Mm-hhm: Shakshuka.

So when I opened my CSA box on Tuesday and took out tomatoes, peppers and onions, I got the hint.

The Plenty Shakshuka recipe calls for a bunch of things I didn’t have on hand (saffron, fresh thyme, whole cumin seeds); a few things I had but didn’t really envision liking in this dish (Moroccan preserved lemons, sugar) and one thing I can’t serve my husband without having to look at his sad, “don’t-you-love-me-anymore?” pout (namely cilantro, which I love and he loathes). On the other hand, I had things I wanted to use up (a zucchini from last week’s CSA box; some of the za’atar my Israeli friend smuggled through customs for me a few months ago) that seemed like they’d enhance the dish.

So, with apologies to Doctor Shakshuka, here’s Ms. Kleinman's version: 

Heat ½ Cup olive oil (yes, that much) in a large skillet. Add ½ teaspoon dried cumin.

When the oil starts to bubble, add 3 large onions, cut into half-moon slices, and two garlic cloves, minced. Sautee over high heat until onions and garlic are golden, about 10 minutes.

Add 4 sweet red or yellow peppers, (or a combination of the two), cut into strips, and one zucchini, julienned. Add 1 Tablespoon za’atar, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of cayenne pepper (or a few drops of hot sauce), and cook for another 10 minutes. If you don't have za'atar, leave it out or substitute some fresh or dried thyme and/or oregano.

Add 8 smallish tomatoes, (or 4 big ones, or whatever) chopped, and cook the whole mess down until it has the consistency of a chunky pasta sauce, not a soup.  

At this point, you can proceed or wait a while.

A few minutes before you’re ready to eat, make sure the pan and the sauce are really hot, and carefully crack 8 eggs into it. (You can make little spaces for them, or cook them right on top of the veggies.) Cook over medium heat just until the whites are set.

Eat with lots of crusty bread to sop up the sauce.

Serves  4 VERY hungry people. For two, either halve the recipe, or make all of the the veggie sautee and save half of it in the fridge or freezer for another day and proceed using just 4 eggs.

B’tayavon! (that’s how Dr. Shakshua says Bon Appetit!”)