Brunch is a big deal in NYC.
But unfortunately, continuous brunch can burn a pretty big hole in your pocket.
A gal needs a steady brunch recipe to wow her guests with on a sunny Sunday morning and I have the perfect one!
I first tried
shakshuka on a trip to Israel a few years back. It's the simplest dish - made up of eggs poached in a thick, creamy tomato sauce and served with some type of bread to dip on the side. You use the bread to stab through the eggs, letting the poached yolks drip down into the tomato sauce. Then you sop it all up together and dig in!
Here's what you'll need.
olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 of 1 large onion, sliced
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper
feta cheese
cilantro
eggs! (enough for however many people you're serving)
and a big ol' fat baguette
I forgot to snap some pics before everything got going so give your onion a rough dice, slice up your bell peppers and throw them all in a pan with some olive oil until they start to go soft. This usually takes about 15-20min. Don't get greedy! You want the onion and pepper to be soft and mix into the rest of the tomato sauce.
Next, give your garlic a smash and toss it in until it gets a little golden and you really start to smell it!
That's one of my favorite smells, you know. The first few moments where the garlic starts to sizzle and releases all of its delicious aromas. I think I like it because it reminds me so much of my mom cooking up her masterful dinners each night at home!
This is when you'll want to add in your spices as well. It's really up to you to determine how spicy you want it so feel free to mix up the combinations. I just threw in a good pinch of cumin and paprika for the smokiness, and a little cayenne pepper. I'd imagine some red chili flakes would bring the heat up a bit as well!
Once everything's nice and brown, pour in your canned tomatoes. These can be diced, chopped, or whole, really. If you go with whole, just mush them up a little either with your hands before they go in the pan or once they're in there with a fork.
A good grind of pepper and you're ready to crank the heat! You want to bring the sauce up to a boil and then drop the heat to let it simmer until the sauce thickens.
While the tomatoes do their thing, prep your bread!
Slice up a nice sturdy loaf. Remember, you want the bread to be thick and stable enough to scoop up the sauce!
I chose to toast my slices for a few minutes in the oven. Next time, I'll either get a nicer loaf of bread, or forgo this step entirely. They turned out a bit too crispy. I think I'd rather have them soft to really soak up the juices.
Hopefully you've got a good strong sous chef that's been stirring the tomatoes while you focused on the bread.
If you can't seem to find your sous, now's the time to give the pan a good, hearty stir. You should be noticing it thickening by now.
Grab as many eggs as you need to fill your crowd, or as many will fit in the pan. Crack them in right on top of the tomato sauce!
Woops! Try and be a little daintier than me and keep your yolks whole.
Season with some salt and pepper and put a cover over the whole thing. I couldn't find my pan lid, so opted for a nice baking sheet instead!
Don't let them sit for too long! You want the eggs to be jussssssssssssst set enough to let the yolk run down and into the tomatoes.
I sprinkled a little cilantro and parsley on top of the eggs for an added flavor and for the final touch, throw some feta cheese on there.
Set your table and your done!
A dangerously delicious and surprisingly easy brunch worthy of any bottomless menu price tag.
I haven't met anyone yet who hasn't been wholly impressed by shakshuka. It's a deep and comforting flavor, like eating spaghetti....but for breakfast!
and with eggs!
Plus - you don't even need plates! Share it right out of the pan and don't forget to use the bread to scoop up any leftovers.
Your move, NYC.
