A Taste of Place

Shakshuka

By Chef Liz Chadwick

Ingredients:

Extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, medium dice
2 carrots, medium dice
3 celery stalks celery medium dice (or 2 tsp celery seed)
1 red bell pepper, fresh or canned, chopped
6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp smoked sweet paprika
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp cayenne
1 cup chopped olives
1 – 28oz can or two cups crushed or diced tomatoes
Salt & Pepper to taste
5 or 6 farm fresh eggs
Pitas, rice, or toast for serving

Toppings:

Cilantro
Kimchi
Feta
Hot sauce
Pea shoots

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large cast iron pan on medium-high heat, sauté onion, celery, carrot, and bell pepper until soft and translucent. Reduce heat to low. Add in garlic, spices, and olives, and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in tomatoes, and cook until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Adjust seasonings and add salt and pepper as needed.

Remove from heat and crack eggs gently over tomato mixture. Put cast iron pan in preheated oven and bake for 7-10 minutes, until the whites of the eggs are cooked, and the yolks just set.

Serve straight from the pan with desired toppings—with toast, pita, rice, or simply on its own.

Notes:

We serve Shakshuka as a breakfast dish, and will often add diced potatoes when the tomatoes are added. In this case, we cook it a little longer to give it a little more body, and so the potatoes break down.
Olives are optional, we find they add a salty and bright note to the dish.
This is a really flexible dish, so there are no rules when it comes to toppings—get creative!