# Shakshuka

Eggs poached in a cumin-spiced tomato and pepper sauce, topped with feta and herbs, and scooped up with warm pita.

- Total time: 41 min (one cook, steps overlapped; 47 min if done strictly in order)
- Hands-on time: 18 min
- Serves: 4
- Difficulty: easy
- Source: https://dagwood.blrbdigital.com/r/shakshuka

## Ingredients

### Shakshuka

- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 red bell peppers. Substitutes: jarred roasted red peppers (Sweeter and silkier. They melt right into the sauce)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp sweet paprika. Substitutes: smoked paprika (Smoky and a little bolder)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, 28 oz. Substitutes: crushed tomatoes (Smoother sauce, no crushing needed)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 8 large eggs
- salt and black pepper, to taste

### Warm bread

- 4 pitas. Substitutes: crusty bread (Heartier. Toast the slices in the skillet with a little oil)

### Toppings

- 3 oz feta. Substitutes: goat cheese (Creamier and tangier)
- 1/2 cup cilantro or parsley leaves

## Steps (in the fastest order for one cook)

1. [0:00] **Chop** (Shakshuka): Dice 1 large yellow onion and 2 red bell peppers, and thinly slice 4 cloves garlic. _(7 min, hands-on, critical path)_
2. [0:07] **Cook** (Shakshuka): Cook the onion and peppers in 3 tbsp olive oil with 1 tsp kosher salt in a 12 inch skillet over medium heat, stirring now and then, until soft and starting to brown. _(10 min, hands-off, medium, critical path)_
   - At 4 min in: Stir the vegetables
   - At 7 min in: Stir again
3. [0:07] **Crumble** (Toppings): Crumble 3 oz feta. _(1 min, hands-on, optional)_
4. [0:08] **Chop** (Toppings): Roughly chop 1/2 cup cilantro or parsley leaves. _(1 min, hands-on, optional)_
5. [0:17] **Bloom** (Shakshuka): Stir in the garlic, 1 jalapeño, 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp sweet paprika, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and 1 tbsp tomato paste. Cook, stirring, until fragrant and the paste darkens, about 2 minutes. _(2 min, hands-on, medium, critical path)_
6. [0:19] **Simmer** (Shakshuka): Add 1 can whole peeled tomatoes with their juice, crushing them with a spoon, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Simmer until thick enough that a spoon dragged through leaves a trail. _(12 min, hands-off, medium-low, critical path)_
   - At 4 min in: Stir and crush any big pieces of tomato
   - At 8 min in: Stir and taste for salt
   - Why: A thick sauce holds the eggs in place. A thin one swamps them.
7. [0:31] **Crack** (Shakshuka): Make a well in the sauce for each egg and crack 8 large eggs into them. Season the eggs with salt and black pepper. _(2 min, hands-on, critical path)_
8. [0:33] **Poach** (Shakshuka): Cover and cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. _(7 min, hands-off, medium-low, critical path)_
   - At 5 min in: Peek: if the whites are set, it's done
9. [0:33] **Warm** (Warm bread): Warm 4 pitas one at a time in a dry skillet over medium heat, about 30 seconds per side, then cut into wedges. _(4 min, hands-on, medium)_
   - Why: Doing this while the eggs cook means the bread is still warm at the table.
10. [0:40] **Serve** (Shakshuka): Scatter the feta and herbs over the eggs, if using, and serve from the pan with the warm bread. _(1 min, hands-on, critical path)_

## Graph

Each step lists the steps that must finish before it starts.

- chop (can start immediately)
- soften after chop
- bloom after soften
- simmer after bloom
- add-eggs after simmer
- poach after add-eggs
- warm-bread after add-eggs
- crumble-feta (can start immediately)
- chop-herbs (can start immediately)
- serve after poach, warm-bread, crumble-feta, chop-herbs

## Notes

- Pull the pan when the whites are just set. The yolks keep cooking in the hot sauce.
- Make the sauce up to 3 days ahead. Reheat it in the skillet before adding the eggs.
- If your skillet is smaller than 12 inches, use 6 eggs.

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Recipe graph by Dagwood (https://dagwood.blrbdigital.com). Licensed CC BY 4.0. JSON graph: https://dagwood.blrbdigital.com/r/shakshuka.json