Turkishish Shakshuka At Last

 

I tried to make shakshuka for five days. 

Day 1: ordered all the ingredients I needed online for delivery. Shit, can't get it til tomorrow. No problem, we will eat something else tonight but super excited for tomorrow's dinner

Day 2: groceries come! Time to start.....oh, wait, what? You feel like ordering Thai? But I was...okay, Thai does sound like it would hit the spot. Shakshuka tomorrow, FOR SURE

Day 3: make the shakshuka tomato/red pepper sauce in anticipation of tonight's shakshuka. Sit outside with my neighbours for a glass of wine and the next thing I know, we grab The Kid and venture on down to sit on the patio at The Pub. It's the only place that will let us take a table for 8 so we can sit at opposite ends of the table and their salt and pepper wings are really delicious.....

Day 4: TODAY IS THE DAY. WE are making this damned shakshuka if it kills me, but first, a visit to drop off something to friends we haven't seen since January. Go to drop it off on the porch and she texts that they are out in the backyard and to come back and say hi. We have a lovely visit - WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WHEN WE CAN NO LONGER SIT OUTSIDE FOR SOCIALLY DISTANCED VISITS DUE TO THE SNOW AND THE COLD?
We decide to walk home along Queen St in the Beach instead of back the way we came and we pass by the new PBJ - the new Punjabi restaurant that I have heard raves about. The patio is completely empty and secluded on the side street and basically meets all the criteria for us to feel okay patio dining. OKAY, but just a quick taste as we are going home to eat shakshuka. One chicken biryani, one goat curry, one butter chicken mac & cheese, a giant basket of garlic naan, a mango lassi and then galub jamau later, we pack up the leftovers and waddle off towards home, never to be hungry again.

Day 5: SHAKSHUKA

*a note: this is something between shakshuka and the Turkish dish, Menemen, a staple of Anatolian cuisine. Menemen typically uses fresh green peppers and is more like a thick ratatouille and often contains some ground lamb or sausage.

Turkishish Shakshuka

serves 3-4

2 tbls olive oil

1 small onion, thinly sliced

2 gloves garlic, minced

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 large roasted red pepper, sliced into 2" strips

2 tbls Turkish red pepper paste (biber salcasi) in either hot or mild

2 cups of passata or tomato puree

6-8 eggs

*1 tsp Turkish black Urfa chili flakes (cocoa like smokey flavour, mildly spicy)

*1 tsp Maras or Marash chili (fruity undertones, medium heat)

1/2 cup crumbled feta

big handful of washed, dried and chopped cilantro

serve with warm, buttered pita or other good bread

* if you can't find these spices, just leave them out. I have never found a good substitute and it will still be delicious without them, just different.

Heat the olive oil in a deep sauté pan and sauté the onion until soft, just a few minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute before you add the, cumin, paprika, stir til fragrant, around 30 seconds before you throw in the red pepper and biber salcasi, cook for another minute and then, finally, add the tomato puree. Let simmer lightly for about 10 minutes.

Crack each egg, one by one, into a small bowl. Create a shallow well in the sauce and gently tip the egg into the well, repeating with the remaining eggs and scatter the Urfa and the Maras chili over the top (if you are using those). Simmer gently until your eggs are set to your liking (8-10 minutes for me) OR throw in a preheated 325F oven for about 20 to 25 minutes OR lovingly and gently baste the egg whites with the sauce so that they cook faster and you can achieve a cooked white with a still soft, runny yolk. It depends on your level of commitment. I simmer gently until the eggs are set and the yolks are soft and creamy.

Garnish with crumbled feta and cilantro

serve with warm, buttered pita or any other hearty bread