Shakshuka

As I have probably mentioned, posted and broadcasted many times, I went to Israel for the first time this passed winter. I had an amazing time making new friends and seeing a lot of family. One thing I was excited about in my travels was food. Trying new things and trying the authentic version of foods as well. Here is my version of shakshuka as well as a few stories of my food experiences in Israel. Many thanks to Susie for asking for the recipe and inspiring this post!

The first food hunt was falafel.  My roommate Kim, our tripmate Devon and I were on a mission to find the best. We are still in the air if our first falafel in Tsfat was the best or it was just that good because it was our first in Israel. You never forget your first right? We tried it every chance we got and analyzed the falafel like we were some kind of connoisseurs. This one doesn't have enough herbs inside, the other one had more of a crunch to it, and some that just tasted like nothing. We had many falafels and many stories that were really good. Just not sure which falafel had been the best.  My cousin Sharon took me to Haifa on Christmas day to see the Bahai Gardens and try "the best falafel" in Israel. Unfortunately the falafel place was closed for Christmas. Then there was a 30 minute explanation about how places actually close on Christmas day. Living in Israel he hadn't known anything to close for Christmas.  I guess it was in the cards to have to return to Israel a second time to try the best falafel. 

Then came Sabich. Where has sabich been all my life? Sharon had told me about sabich and that the best place to get it at was Oved's. The thing about Oved is that you have to know how to talk to him in order to get the sandwich you want. Sharon gave me the basics. You order like you are calling a soccer match but first you have to tell him how much eggplant you want ( light, medium, heavy, militant). The eggplant he makes is epic. Fried just enough to make the outside chewy and the inside perfectly cooked. Then comes the hard boiled egg and hummus, which again was light, medium, or heavy. Now for the fixings! I wish I could tell you everything he had but I always "played across the field" which meant give me all of it. I remember onions, pickles, tomatoes and cucumbers. Then came the score between Maccabi, which was represented by amba sauce, and Ha Poel, which was the hot sauce. The score you gave represented how many teaspoons of each you wanted. My score always was for Maccabi because I fell in love with amba. Its a smelly mango curry concoction that you have to be very careful with. You can smell like it for days if you eat too much. We asked Oved what the highest score was that he ever had served and it was something insane like 70-70. He said what ever he cant get into the sandwich he serves in a cup and they have to shoot the rest. Not for me!!! Lastly he asks if you should be crowned and that meant he would put one last piece of eggplant on top. Now I have to say he must have baked his pitas with rubber or something. It didn't matter what he put in that pita it NEVER tore apart. I've had a pita fall apart with one falafel in it. So with the basics down I nervously stand in line because I know how to say two words in Hebrew and as a general rule you better know how to order at Oved's because if you stall or hold up the line he will give you a hard time. I actually watched him run a guys taxi meter up for stalling him. Sharon tells him that I am from the US and don't know Hebrew well. Oved had his stuff handled and switched to broken English with out a hitch. He was just a little impressed that I knew how to kind of sort of order and joked that I had chosen Galaxy (amba) to win because I like David Beckham. I begged Sharon to make time to go a second time because it was so good. I'm craving one now thinking about it. If you are ever in Israel you need to go to Oved's. 

Now for the shakshuka. I met with one of my moms cousins to go to lunch in Israel. She took me to a cafe called Cacao in a beautiful park. I had no idea what I was ordering and I didn't want to ask too many questions. I hadn't had breakfast and when I saw the dish with eggs I figured why not. Holy cow was it good. Great tomato dish filled with goat cheese, herb stewed tomatoes and eggs. Again salivating at the thought of it. Fast forward a few months back in the US I was having a birthday party with my brother. We invited everyone for a backyard brunch and I decided to try making shakshuka. What your looking for is a thick pasta sauce looking tomato stew that you fill with all kinds of goodies like artichoke hearts, goat or feta cheese, veggies, meat and eggs. Below is close to how I made it but honestly it's one of those everything but the kitchen sink kind of dishes. This will serve about 1-2 people. You can multiply add subtract whatever to your liking. 

Shakshuka

~ 2 cups Canned crushed tomatoes or really ripe tomatoes

~ 3-4 Eggs

~ 1 Onion

~ 1/4-1/2 cup Cheese of your choice

~ Any add ons like veggies or meat

~ Oil

~ Spices

~ Water

Note about the type of pan to use. Don't use a larger saute pan because it sounds like a lot of ingredients. It needs to be a little smaller so that the tomato sauce will be about an inch or two deep. If not you'll end up with a scrambled egg omelette.


1. Saute your onions until translucent. This would also be a good time to cook any other veggies like bell peppers or meat like sliced turkey breast that you would like to add as well.

2. Add the tomatoes. This is where you need to be careful. You don't want it to be watery but you don't want it to be too thick either. Just thick enough to poach the eggs in it. Have your water on hand just in case it gets too thick. Add all of your herbs and seasonings and bring to a slight boil. The longer you can let the tomatoes stew the better the end result. 

3. Crack the eggs into the mixture. If you think the boiling might break the egg yolk then turn it down a bit. 

4. Add your cheese in little piles through out the dish. Do not sprinkle all over or you will lose the flavor. 

5. Cover until the yolk is set to your liking. 

I typically just put the pan on the table and let every one serve themselves. Serve with your favorite toasted bread. Hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do. It can be very easy if you have everything in the fridge and its a nice change to your typical breakfast. Let me know what variations you have come up with. 

Happy cooking!