shakshuka

Think of it as Middle Eastern huevos rancheros. Shakshuka (pronounced shack-SHOUK-ah) is a classic North African/Middle Eastern dish. In Israel, it's typical cafe food, eaten any time of day with pita or a slice of bread.

It's a humble, extremely simple recipe: thick tomato sauce, peppers (bell or hot), onions, with eggs poached on top. But as with most recipes of this kind, there are thousands of regional and cultural variations on the theme. You can add or subtract sausages, hot peppers, grated cheese, or red wine, just as you would with any good tomato sauce. I make it with leftover spaghetti sauce.

Use the recipe below as a sketch, meant to be adjusted and riffed off of.

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2 sm. onions, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed or sliced finely
1/2 green pepper, sliced or cubed
1 red pepper, sliced or cubed
1 fresh red chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
1 sm can tomato paste
1 can whole tomatoes (cut tomatoes in half, juice reserved)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
6 (or so) eggs
salt and pepper to taste

chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

1. Make tomato sauce: In heavy saucepan, dice onions and fry in olive oil until golden. Add garlic, peppers and tomatoes. Stir gently, on medium heat, and add reserved tomato juice, tomato paste, and spices until sauce becomes stewy and aromatic. Add water or juice as necessary if sauce becomes overly thick.

2. Poach eggs: Once sauce has become thick, with a spoon carve out holes in sauce and gently place raw the eggs in holes. Cover saucepan and simmer until eggs are poached.

Serve very hot in the pan, garnish with cilantro. Great with fresh bread or toast.

Serves 4 for breakfast.

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Here's a video someone took at the excellent Dr. Shakshuka restaurant in Jaffa (just south of Tel Aviv), where the owner demonstrates his technique. (No Hebrew language skills required.)