Rubi and I are snowed in again for the 3rd time in a week. Every time I hear the plows roar past the house I feel I should be out there blowing the snow around with them.
Last week we were buried under 30+ inches of snow from Blizzard Juno and it took me 2 days to dig out. Storm Darius threatens to drop another 8 to 14 inches on top of that. My arms hurt just thinking about it.
I’m still lounging in bed with Rubi snoring loudly on the floor next to me. I’m perusing Tweets while Mika and Joe discuss the best and worst Super Bowl commercials; once again my personal favorite is Budweiser’s puppy and Clydesdale tear-jerker. Of course, I’m just a little partial to Yellow Labs.
Then I come across this Tweet from HuffPost Taste:
Shakshuka? … never heard of such a thing but anything made in a cast iron pan is a winner in my kitchen. So I checked out the HuffPost article and knew exactly what I would be doing on this snow day.
Here’s the link to Huff’s post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/shakshuka-recipes_n_6559308.html
After reading through 14 versions of Shakshuka, all of which sounded yummy, and learning a bit of history on this dish I decided my first experience with Shakshuka would be the “Caprese” because of the Italian flare.
From Wikipedia: Shakshouka is a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, chili peppers, and onions, often spiced with cumin. It is believed to have a Tunisian origin.
The recipe from the blog “What A Jew Wanna Eat“.
http://whatjewwannaeat.com/caprese-shakshuka-breakfast-casserole/tablespoons olive oil
½ white onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more!)
2 14-ounce can of diced or sliced tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon champagne or white vinegar
Salt to taste
4 eggs
2-4 thin slices fresh mozzarella cheese
In a large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and saute your onions and jalapenos with a pinch of salt for a 3-4 minutes until slightly soft. Add garlic and sauté for 1 more minute.
Then add your cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper and stir. Add in the tomatoes and vinegar and simmer uncovered until thick, about 10-15 minutes. Add salt to taste.
Then crack eggs one at a time into a ramekin and gently pour each one into the shakshuka. This method helps the eggs keep their shape. Add mozzarella slices and cover with the pan top of foil and cook for 5-7 more minutes until the egg whites are set and cheese is melty. Cook longer if you want the yolks set too.
Garnish with basil and serve with crusty bread!½ cup fresh basil, chiffonade.
Later in the day …
I’m watching the snow come down hard as I sit down to enjoy my Shakshuka. I’m not looking forward to clearing out the driveways and paths but you can’t deny how beautiful the snow is.
Today I used Rotel with green chiles because it’s what I had in the pantry, substituted Proseco for the Champagne/Vinegar and added extra garlic.
This was super easy to make and OMG! it’s so delicious. Don’t skimp on the bread … this dish has some kick. Probably more so because I used the Rotel with green chiles. Now I can’t wait to work my way through all the Shakshuka recipes.
Shakshuka was a perfect meal for a cold, storm driven snow day and I certainly would make it for friends.
Now I’m ready to go out and fire up the snow blower. Ciao!