Shakshuka (Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce)

What?  What on earth is shakshuka??  I had no idea before about a week ago, but, since I have fallen off the blogging wagon recently, I figured I had to fix something with a catchy name!  I know, I know, where have I been?  I really thought it had only been a few weeks since my last post, but it has been a whole month, sorry.  There hasn't been a lot of cooking going on recently.  I am due to have a baby in a few weeks and have been super busy with finishing up work projects and home projects.  Anyway, we have not starved for an entire month.  I do have a recipe or two to share.  This one was a huge success, and so easy.  It also got us through the dry spell of no ready-to-pick vegetables from the garden. 


Fun tip:  I recommend calling up a friend and casually saying, "hey, want to come over for some shakshuka?"   


Adapted from Saveur and http://www.smittenkitchen.com/
Serves 4 to 6


1/4 Cup olive oil
5 Anaheim chilies or 3 jalapenos, stemmed seeded, and finely chopped (I used canned jalapenos and it was decently spicy without burning your taste buds!)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained (I used a chopped tomatoes)
kosher salt, to taste
6 eggs
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 Tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
Warm pitas for serving (optional)


Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chiles and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes.  Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.


Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands (or just use a can of chopped; I never really understood why you use whole tomatoes just to break them up!).  Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 Cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes.  Season sauce with salt.  (I found it salty enough without adding any additional, so taste before you add).


Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce's surface.  Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes.  Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk.  Sprinkle shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with pitas, for dipping.  Or, you could serve this for breakfast with some toast!