E is for Eggs
Do you have thoughts on eggs? I do. I love eggs. Most of the time when I have eggs, I have them scrambled. I’m picky though, I like them scrambled soft so they are still a little wet. Add in some chives and I’m in heaven. I like them over medium (runny yolks, set whites), especially with bacon. I like them poached, though no matter how many times people say it’s not difficult, it’s difficult enough that I don’t enjoy doing it. I like them soft boiled, especially in a salad or something like that. Ditto hard boiled. The only way I don’t really like eggs is when they are overcooked, which to me means dry and gross. That’s when a little ketchup or salsa comes in handy. My mom’s side of the family seems mostly to either dislike eggs, or at least really dislike runny yolks. My great Aunt Flo said her father liked his yolks runny and she would have to hide her eyes behind something when he ate them, or else it would make her sick. What did she hide behind? A cereal box? Was that common to have in the ‘30s out in the countryside? A newspaper? I don’t know. My mom lived with her Great Aunt Julia for a couple of years in High School, and Auntie taught her to like eggs in many forms. Many years ago, I found out that my evil cousin K was taking advantage of my grandma and great Aunt (they lived together for the last almost 30 years of my grandma’s life, they were 16 months apart and best friends) was that they were eating scrambled eggs for dinner. It was cheap protein, so they could afford to give K money. Ugh.
OK, without getting into THAT whole story, and how frustrating it was to try to convince them that K is a dirtbag and they should NOT be paying for her home repairs or buying her cars or whatever, here is the recipe for the delicious Shakshuka pictured above. I posted the recipe once before, so this is totally NaBloPoMo cheating. I don’t feel badly about that, because I think you all need this recipe in your life. Photo and recipe are courtesy of the Los Angeles Times.
Shakshuka
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 red bell peppers, cored and cut into ¼-inch lengthwise slices (about 1 ½ cups)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 to 2 tablespoons harissa
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes (about 3 tomatoes) (I use a can of fire roasted tomatoes)
- ½ teaspoon pimentón de la Vera (I use smoked paprika)
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- Labneh or Greek yogurt
Directions
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced peppers, salt lightly and cook, stirring frequently, until the peppers have wilted and begun to soften, about 5 minutes.
Add the onion and cook until it has softened, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and continue cooking until that becomes fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the harissa, tomato paste and cumin and cook until the mixture becomes richly fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and the pimentón and cook until the mixture forms a thick sauce, about 7 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add more harissa if desired.
Using the back of a spoon, make 4 depressions in the sauce and crack an egg into each. Sprinkle lightly with salt, cover the pan and cook until the eggs are set, about 10 minutes.
Sprinkle chopped cilantro over the top and serve immediately, with labneh or Greek yogurt on the side.
34 Comments
Beckett @ Birchwood Pie
I love eggs, and I cannot poach them to save my life. I mean, I could learn but what’s the point when there are so many other delicious ways to make them? My favorite way is pan fried in a skillet because it’s so fast.
Earlier this year the price got as high as $6.60 a dozen for jumbo sized eggs and even then it was worth it. Now they’re back down to $2 and sometimes even less.
J
This is where I confess that I am a SNOB about eggs. I really like eggs where the chickens were allowed to run around a pasture (and I think California has some laws on that as well), so that means expensive. These eggs run between $8 – $10 a dozen. Not cheap, but I love them so much I just buy them anyway.
Ally Bean
I like eggs. I like them because they can be served plain or fancied up like the recipe you share here. Thanks for making my life better with it!
J
Thanks Ally! Yes, eggs are so versatile, I love that about them as well.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
I have never had Shashuko can you believe. My sister does it often I think.
We would not be egg-friends. I hate runny egg yolk – for me the egg is still living.
However a poached one is allowed to be a bit runny. During my vacation I ordered a poached egg and even the egg white was runny. It was so disgusting I could not eat it.
Oh and scrambled eggs is/was a dinner dish in my family while hard boiled eggs a breakfast thing. For my husband its the other way around and he would never eat scrambled for dinner.
J
Oh goodness, a runny white makes me nauseous, I wouldn’t be able to eat that either. I once had breakfast with my friend Marilee, who ordered Eggs Benedict, and said she would like her eggs to have a suggestion of being runny, but not actually runny. Perhaps that’s you and the yolks of poached eggs…they can be soft, but not runny. Not easy to do I don’t think.
Margaret
I do like eggs (except poached, the white is a little too gelatinous for me) and love scrambled, omelets, quiche and any casserole made with them. Tater tot casserole! My daughter has made that and I liked it pretty well but I prefer my eggs plain or with some cheese and salsa.
J
I’ve never heard of tator tot casserole, but I love potatoes!
Jenny
No eggs for me because I’m vegan. There are some good egg substitues out there (Just Egg makes really good omelets and scambled eggs) but I like good, old fashioned tofu scramble. Actually you’re giving me a good idea- we’ll have a tofu scramble for dinner one night this week!
J
I’ve wondered about those egg substitutes, glad to hear that they work well!
Ernie
I like eggs. I love an omlet. I’ve never tried to poach an egg. I eat half of a hard boiled egg in my cobb salad every day. I wish I knew how to boil them without making them hard to peel. It seems like one batch is impossible to peel and the next batch is ridiculous. Growing up my mom made sunny side eggs almost exclusively. Why? There are so many other options?
Dirt bag cousin, what is the deal here? Preying on old people is so shameful.
J
I also love eggs. I won’t get into the cousin thing, it’s horrible.
Elisabeth
I LOVE eggs and eat them almost daily. Just yesterday I said to my husband: what would we do without eggs? I had them for lunch AND supper. Delicious, versatile…yum.
J
Elisabeth, I agree! Eggs are wonderful.
coco
i love eggs too, probably the most animal protein source I consume. it’s easy, satisfying, and nutritious. when i’m on the run, i often just boil some eggs to bring for a quick snack.
i love scrambled eggs with tomato, omelette. I used to love runny eggs but i went through a phase that after eating it, it made me nauseas. so i guess while i love eggs, i can’t consume too much of them.
this recipe looks so yummy, will try to make it next weekend, it would pair well with some toasts.
J
Yes, I love it with toast, especially sourdough French bread. I’m sorry that you can’t eat the yolks anymore, that is sad to me. I have a friend that hates the whites, and only eats the yolks. You could be egg buddies.
sarah
I can only eat egg whites– yolks make me sick. But before I realized that I loved soft boiled eggs in an egg cup with toast strips to dip in the yolk.
J
I’ve never had that, only seen it on TV. It looks so elegant to me.
San
I go through phases with eggs. I like the yolk runny (soft-boiled or over medium), but I will take my scrambled egg well done, please 🙂
Thanks for the recipe, I don’t think I’ve made a Shakshuka yet… but it looks so delicious!
J
San, let me know if you give it a try! We enjoy it.
Suzanne
I really, vehemently dislike eggs! The only way I will eat them is scrambled (but… well done, not wet the way you and my husband like them) or in omelet form (which is basically the same as scrambled). I need cheese in my scrambled eggs, cheese, onions, and mushrooms in my omelets. And SO MUCH salt and pepper. That is the only way they are palatable to me. Okay, I also kind of like those sous vide egg bites from Starbucks. All that said, shakshuka sounds so incredibly intriguing to me! All those flavors sounds delicious!
J
Suzanne, if your grandkids ever find you making eggs for dinner, they will know you are being taken advantage of! A sign! Also, I had an amazing fish dish in Paris last year that was on a Shakshuka base, and I have used this base with chicken as well. No eggs needed!
nance
I used to make us frittata for dinner often in the summertime with fresh produce like zucchini, tomato, mushroom, spinach, etc. We’d have it with a glass of white wine and, occasionally, some French or Italian bread. Then eggs started to bother my stomach. I’d feel sort of nauseated, just kind of yucky. I’ve had to cut eggs out of my diet. I don’t really miss them all that much except for the convenience factor. They’re so quick and easy and readily available.
I’d never had shakshuka, and I’ll probably never make it. But it sounds so good, except for the eggs.
J
Nance, if you like the other ingredients, you can make it with chicken or fish. It is delicious!
I’m sorry you can’t have eggs anymore, that would be a big loss for me. I’m glad it’s not too difficult for you.
Anthea Booysen
I love eggs! They are so versatile and I enjoy them fried, scrambled, boiled or poached.
I (mostly) find them easy to cook but I haven’t mastered the art of poaching an egg.
This recipe looks delicious!
J
Thanks Anthea, yes, poaching eggs is mostly beyond me.
Lisa's Yarns
Wow, K is a truly horrible person.
I, too, love eggs. Over easy is my favorite preparation but only if I have GF toast to dip in the runny yolk, or if I’m eating them over something like a rice or hash type of dish to soak up the runny yolks. Otherwise I prefer scrambled. I also love hard boiled.
I would totally eat this recipe but my husband does not like tomoatoes so it would not work for him. So what I need to do is find a restaurant that makes this and it’s GF (which is should be, can’t imagine where the gluten would be added in) and order it.
J
Good luck Lisa, I hope it magically appears on a menu in your near future! Delicious! I had a similar dish with fish in Paris last year. I think there are a lot of different versions of shakshuka.
Stephany
I love eggs! For a while, I was doing them every morning for breakfast but I eventually got sick of them so I’m on an egg break for the moment. I love them on the drier side when it comes to scrambled (sorry!) and I prefer a fried egg with nearly hard yolks. I’m a weirdo, I know!
J
Stephany, you would fit in with my family. Especially if you put ketchup on them!
Kyria @ Travel Spot
I love eggs and can and sometimes do eat them every day. However, mine are usually pretty simple, and are either scrambled or fried. I did not try shakshuka for a long time as I am not the biggest fan of cooked tomatoes, but when I did finally try it, I realized that I can totally get on board with it. I don’t know if is that I have learned to like cooked tomatoes more as I age, or if its just extra delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
J
Yay! Someone who has had Shakshuka! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it.
Meliisa
I love eggs. I often have them for lunch. I’ll eat them anyway but if I’m making them and don’t feel like standing around to much then I scramble them because it is so quick, especially because I like them soft like you. That’s the only way to eat them in my opinion otherwise they can get all hard and rubbery.
J
Amen, Melissa, amen. And I often do scrambled for just that reason…SO QUICK!