What to cook with your tomato harvest 1: Shakshuka

Shakshuka, the traditional Israeli breakfast dish, is an easy and fantastic way to use the glut of tomatoes that home gardeners get in late August and early September. When I was a kid my father occasionally made (or more likely asked my mother to make) heuvos con tomate, a traditional sephardi Jewish dish. It was always very special because it was a very unusual treat. This shakshuka recipe is pretty much the same thing and probably why I like it so much. And as a bonus, it is pretty low calorie and low fat!

At this time of year, I’m eating at least one tomato meal a day. Yesterday was a three-tomato-meal day. I choose to plant heirloom tomatoes in my garden, so generally I do not cook with them but when you’re bringing in armfuls of the beauties each day, you have to do something with them.

For the most part, the tomatoes I have also vary in colour from yellow, to orange, to green, purple, and red so the sauces made with them don’t tend to be the traditional deep red you expect but more often a lighter orange. Don’t be fooled by the colour, the taste is pure essence of tomato! So use whatever tomatoes you have around but freshly picked ones will definitely give you the best flavour.

Yield: 2 generous servings

Ingredients:

2 large or 4 medium tomatoes of any type
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 roasted red pepper, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 fresh chile (serano, thai, jalapeno, or cayenne), seeded and chopped (optional)
2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs: oregano, parsley, thyme, and/or basil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp kosher salt
pinch of sugar (optional)
Pepper to taste
4 eggs

Boil some water and blanche the tomatoes so you can easily remove the skins. Once you remove the skin, dice the tomatoes. You can remove the seeds if you want, but that is not time in my life that I like to spend, so mine has seeds!

Chop the onion, garlic, and chile pepper. Heat the oil over med-high heat in a medium-sized frying pan (I prefer cast iron for this dish). Saute the onions for 5 minutes or so until they start turning golden brown. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.

Add the tomatoes, roasted red pepper, herbs, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper to the pan. The chile is optional but the heat adds a nice dimension to the dish. This amount won’t make it too spicy but if you’re not too keen on the heat, you can use half a chile instead. Check the flavour and if it’s very tangy, you can add the pinch of sugar.

Simmer over med-low heat for at least 10 minutes, you don’t want the sauce to be too watery. Often with garden tomatoes there is quite a bit more liquid than store bought so you should simmer until most of the liquid is evaporated, up to 18 minutes or so. Check your seasoning and add more salt and pepper if you need it.

Once the sauce is a good consistency, gently crack the eggs over the sauce and delicately place them in the pan. Cover and steam until the eggs are done to your liking. I prefer runny yolks, which usually takes about 5-6 minutes. If you prefer the white and/or yolk harder, just cook for a couple more minutes.

To serve: using a large serving spoon, gently take one spoonful of egg and the shakshuka at a time and spoon into a flat, wide bowl. Sprinkle with the chopped fresh parsley and serve piping hot with some crispy toast on the side.

© Gail J Cohen 2016