Last week while I was getting a long run in on Thursday afternoon, I had a good deal of time to be by myself, to mull over things and really try and concentrate on anything other than how cold my hands were and how much my legs started hurting around mile 9. C was coming down early on Friday and we had a bunch of appointments to maintain throughout the weekend; Dad’s bday dinner, hiking, meeting up with a college friend we don’t get to see too often…it was shaping up to be just another weekend so it was nice to have the solitude to get some thinking done while on the run. I was looking forward into the next couple of weeks and things are just piling up on top of each other between work week activities and travel here and there so it was nice to be facing down the prospect of a social weekend in DC that included catching up with friends I should make more time to see.
So by the time Friday evening rolled around, we had a night on the town all planned out. I met up with a buddy who’s in Baltimore now for school, headed down to Union to meet C at the bus terminal and then it was, wait…dinner time. Woops, what were we going to do? Too late to walk in somewhere for dinner so it was back to the stove top for something quick and hopefully fit for a Friday night feast.
Well, I’ll tell you this, the Shakshuka delivered on that promise. If you haven’t noticed I fall back on Yotam a good deal for some delicious vegetarian fare. I found out this weekend that he has another book out there somewhere that I need to get my hands on ASAP, but, pardon the pun, there is plenty to discover in “Plenty.” The book is vegetarian but I wanted to add a little bit of protein in there to give us a good, erm, sponge (?) prior to our night on the town. So, if you want to try the vegetarian style of the recipe, ignore the bratwurst but the addition was accommodated well in the dish. I think you could put some spicy links in there as well for a bit of a kick, or maybe some chicken for a heart healthier version? It definitely added to the dish, but it wasn’t the main feature.
In all, the Shakshuka is so easy that you won’t be able to fathom the flavor it pulls. Word of caution though, don’t cook the eggs too long like we did; allow them poach for a few minutes then serve the dish quickly…they just don’t do the pepper mixture justice as hardboiled eggs.
Check it out, you won’t be sorry you did.
Enjoy!
Shakshuka
Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s “Plenty”
Shakshuka is a North African dish with many variations. Some add preserved lemon, others feta and different herbs and spices. Cook and serve it in individual pans, if you have them, or in one very large one. Chunky white bread on the side is a must.
Serves 4 generously
2-3 bratwurst, skins removed
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
¾ cup light olive oil or vegetable oil
2 large onions, sliced
2 red bell peppers, cut into ¾ – inch strips
2 yellow bell peppers, cut into ¾ – inch strips
4 teaspoons Muscovado sugar (or dark brown sugar if you can’t find Muscovado)
2 bay leaves
6 thyme sprigs, leaves picked and chopped
2 Tablespoon chopped parsley
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus extra to garnish
6 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon saffron
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and black pepper
up to 1 1/8 cups of water
8 eggs
In a very large pan dry-roast the cumin seeds on high heat for 2 minutes. Add the oil, sausage and onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the peppers, sugar and herbs and continue cooking on high heat for 5 to 10 minutes to get a nice color.
Add the tomatoes, saffron, cayenne and some salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. During the cooking keep adding water so that the mix has a pasta sauce consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning. It should be potent and flavorful. (You can prepare this mixture in advance).
Remove the bay leaves, then divide the pepper mix among four deep frying pans, each large enough to take a generous individual portion. Place them on medium heat to warm up, then make two gaps in the pepper mix in each pan and carefully break an egg into each gap. Sprinkle with salt and cover the pans with lids. Cook on very (!) gently heat for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the eggs are just set. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
Wok, Pot & Barrel 