Shakshuka = beautiful.
I lived 24 years on this planet before I first realized the magical combination of eggs and tomato sauce.
My first experience with eggs and tomato sauce was on a pizza in Italy. It wasn't just a fun pizza moment in Venice. It was a life-altering mouthgasm of flavor explosions, and I totally wanted to pack my bags for India and Bali to have my own Eat Pray Love experience.
To say it was a revelation on every single level is completely accurate.
Now, I actively look for recipes that bring these two foods together without the hassle of pizza. Because pizza is hard to make from scratch, and making it delicious in a gluten-free form is damn near impossible. Trust me.
Enter a dish called Shakshuka.
Shakshuka hails from Israel and does what I need food to do in my mouth: reveal the truths of the universe with every bite.
Shakshuka does this effortlessly. The rich favors of the hearty tomato broth, the unctuous flavor of an over-easy egg, the simplicity of the preparation, and the absolute satisfaction you feel after the first bite makes this a complete winner. And I don't mean a Donald Trump-style winner but an ACTUAL WINNER.
This is food to fuel your soul.
Ingredients:
1 jar diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp tomato paste
5 small sweet peppers, diced
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed or roasted
1 Tbsp olive oil
5-6 eggs
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
Directions:
In a large skillet or deep sauté pan, sauté onions, peppers, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Make sure they're soft, just like your heart.
Next, add your jar of diced tomatoes and tomato paste. If you need more tomato paste to thicken, go for it. 3 Tbsp is approximate, so use your own judgment. (Unless your judgment sucks — then call your bestie.)
Add a little salt and pepper to taste and allow the sauce to bubble a bit develop a deeper flavor on medium-low heat. Be sure to cover your pan, though. You don't want this to over-reduce.
While your sauce is developing a personality, feel free to toast some bread brushed with olive oil and finish with a sprinkle of kosher sea salt.
Now, this is the tricky part. Until now, it's totally okay if you've been doing this halfway. Sauce like this doesn't require lots of time or laser focus, but the egg part does. Your eggs can go from a lovely over-easy to complete sulfurous chalk in a matter of 30 seconds. So pay attention.
Using the back of a spoon, create 5-6 shallow wells for each egg in the sauce. Gently place one egg in each well.
Cover the pan with a lid for 3-5 minutes, until the whites are barely set and the yolk is still fragile to the touch. Remove from heat and uncover. Sprinkle with parsley to garnish!
Serve immediately to the earth-shattering mouth pleasure of your friends and family with perfectly toasted bread or simple green salad.
