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Tomato and Chickpea Shakshuka

We didn't have any chile peppers during the lockdown. (Well, I did for a brief moment...but I used them to make the Mint Zhoug.) So I used red chili flakes, also known as crushed red pepper. I did add a few dabs of harissa to give the dish additional spice. You can certainly add a diced fresh chili or two to the onion and garlic mixture and skip the dried chili flakes. Feel free to stir a generous handful of torn greens, such as kale or spinach, into the tomato sauce and let it wilt a minute, covered, before cooking the eggs. Cubes of feta can be added around the eggs while they are cooking, too. Everyone likes their eggs cooked differently so rather than relying strictly on cooking times, keep an eye on them and the Shakshuka is ready when the eggs are cooked to your liking. Note they will appear less-cooked than they are, visually, but a slight nudge will let you know if they are cooked to your liking.
Servings 4 servings
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika, (preferably smoked)
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • Two 15-ounce (400g) cans crushed or diced tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2-3 teaspoons harissa , (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar or honey
  • 1 3/4 cups (280g) cooked chickpeas, from one 15-ounce/400g can of chickpeas drained and rinsed, or chickpeas you've cooked from dried
  • 5-6 eggs
  • Heat the oil in a wide skillet (at least 10-inches/25cm) that has a lid, over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until they're soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the salt and cumin, paprika, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, and stir for 10 seconds to release their fragrance.
  • Add the tomatoes and any juice they're packed in, tomato paste, harissa, and brown sugar to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the drained chickpeas and continue cooking about 10 minutes more, until when you lift a big spoonful of the sauce, and drop it back onto the sauce, and holds its shape. Then it's ready.
  • Use a spoon to make 5 or 6 indentations in the sauce around the pan. Crack an egg into each of the divots and use spoon to gently drag some of the egg whites into the sauce. Cover the pan and cook the eggs until they are to your liking; if you like them really soft, they may be done in 3 to 4 minutes. For firmer eggs, they'll take around 6 to 8 minutes. But rather than relying on fixed times, best to check them for doneness, as mentioned in the headnote before the recipe.

Notes

Serving: Serve the Shakshuka with Mint Zhoug, if desired. If you don't have an herb sauce, you can strew a little chopped parsley over the top, to brighten things up. Crusty bread or flatbread is a good accompaniment to scoop up the flavorful sauce.
Storage: You can make the sauce up to through step 2 and refrigerate it, then finish the Shakshuka later. The sauce will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. And yes, you can freeze it too. If you just want to make two servings of Shakshuka, just cook two eggs in the sauce. When it's done, spoon out the two portions (and enjoy them!) then store the rest of the sauce in the refrigerator for the next batch. It likely will have thickened a bit more than you want, so thin it with some water before cooking with it a second time.