Shakshuka

Have you ever had cravings for breakfast food later into the day? I have them all the time, I absolutely love breakfast food. Whether it is some good old fashioned buttermilk pancakes, french toast with strawberry jam, or even cereal, breakfast good is always delicious and shouldn't just be limited to breakfast time! It upsets me when restaurants stop serving breakfast food after 10:00am. It's just not fair, we need to get these rules changed.

Today, after a really busy day, I just wanted to cook something simple, fast, spicy and delicious. What could be better than a big hot pan of Shashuka, an Israeli breakfast dish, to comfort me in this horrible winter weather?

I had this dish a few years back when I was in New Jersey at an Afghanistani restaurant, which I find funny now considering how this is an Israeli dish with origins from Tunisia. It's always fun to see different cultural takes on different foods.

There are days when I'm just lazy but want to eat something out of my routine. I'm always looking for dishes that allow me to be lazy enough that I don't feel like I'm working to hard to make something while still getting a delicious outcome. I'm preparing myself early for motherhood!

This is my go-to dish for days like today, it's always a hit at my house. Future kids, if you are reading this, you better love this dish or else! I'm working hard to perfect my recipes so you can enjoy delicious food when you....exist?  See how much I care? You don't even exist yet I'm thinking about you. I hope you enjoy this in the future!

Shahshuka adapted and modified from Saveur

Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients 

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped (I used 5)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. paprika
1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes,
undrained
Kosher salt, to taste
8 eggs
1 tbsp. chopped cilantro
Warm pita, for serving

1. Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Add chiles and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

2. Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands. Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 20 minutes. Season sauce with salt.

3. Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce's surface. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk*. Sprinkle shakshuka with cilantro and serve with pita, for dipping.

*If you're like me and like your eggs to be fully cooked, just cover your skillet with the lid while cooking on the lowest heat possible for 7-10 minutes. You might want to add 1/2 cup more water to your sauce because otherwise, all the sauce will get cooked out.