Let me guess...you read the title and though "Shak-WHAT?!" Then you looked at the picture and again thought "What?". My thoughts exactly, when I first saw this post on Jen's blog. It isn't the most photogenic meal and the entire description of it sounds a little odd, but I couldn't resist giving it a go. Ryan and I have been turning to eggs lately whenever we need a really fast meal and this was both different and intriguing from the usual sandwiches or omelets.

While the name of it is a little weird and the picture of it might look a little weird, I can assure you that its smells are intoxicating. The night I made this for dinner, we hosted community groups that evening and there were at least four separate people who walked in and immediately said "it smells so good in here". Ryan and I hadn't noticed the apparently delicious smells while preparing it, but everyone else sure attested to it!

This was a little messy to eat, we had to spoon the eggs and tomatoes into separate bowls, at which point the egg yolks broke and met the spicy tomato sauce. The combination sounds weird but somehow it worked! While Jen recommended eating this with pita bread for dipping, we used more of the honey wheat rolls from the freezer (which, by the way, still thawed perfectly and tasted so fresh!).

Hopefully my pictures and description have convinced you to give this meal a try; if nothing else, make it so you can tell someone you had SHAKSHUKA for dinner! :)


One Year Ago: Cereal Dessert Bars

Shakshuka
adapted from Bakin' and Eggs
Ingredients:
-2-3 tbsp olive oil
-2-3 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
-1 small onion, chopped
-2-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1 tsp ground cumin
-1 tsp tumeric
-1 tbsp paprika
-1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
-salt, to taste
-4-6 eggs
-1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
-1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a 12-inch skillet with a lid (don't use lid yet!), over medium high heat. Saute jalapenos and onions until soft and golden brown, approximately 5-6 minutes. Add garlic and other spices and stir frequently, 2-3 minutes until garlic is soft.
2. Pour tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl, crushing tomatoes with your hands. Add tomatoes and 1/2 cup water to the skillet. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is slightly thickened (approximately 15 minutes). Season with salt.
3. Carefully crack eggs over sauce. Cover skillet and cook until eggs set (5-7 minutes). With a spoon, baste the egg whites with the tomato mixture, being careful not to break the yolk. Sprinkle dish with feta and parsley and serve with warm bread or pitas for dipping!