shakshuka with mustard greens
Shakshuka, meaning ‘mixture’ is typically a tomato-based stew in which eggs are poached. There are a million ways to make this. Traditionally a Mediterranean dish, Shakshuka is common in Egypt, Yemen and Syria. Meat, such as lamb or ground beef can be added for heartier fare. I have seen versions that are ‘green’ instead of red by use of zucchini, Brussels sprouts, spinach and cilantro. You could also add potatoes or make a spicy version by bumping up the heat with jalapeno, Sriracha or extra cayenne.
Use this recipe as a guide and go wild. Another way to change this up is to alternate the greens: you could use collard greens, spinach or Tuscan kale instead of the mustard greens. I used mustard greens to give this a ‘southern flare’. This is super easy and you can find many variation of Shakshuka all over the internet.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 medium onion,chopped
1 Tbs olive oil
I 14-oz. can fire roasted tomatoes
1/2 Tbs minced garlic
1 14-oz. can roasted sweet piquillo peppers
1 14-oz can black beans or chickpeas
1/2 Tbs Harissa seasoning
1 tsp salt
16 Mustard green stems, leaves removed and chopped
4 sprigs Italian parsley
4 eggs
In a large skillet, saute onion in olive oil for 2-3 min until translucent. Add garlic and salt and stir thoroughly. Add the roasted peppers, Harissa and tomatoes. Heat through and simmer 7-8 minutes to allow the melding of flavors. At this point, if you a smoother, thicker sauce, you can use an immersion blender to lightly blend the mixture.
Add the beans and mustard greens. Keep the mixture simmering as the greens wilt. Keep on slow simmer and make a ‘pocket’ for each of 4 eggs. (You can do this one at a time.) Gently, crack an egg in each pocket. The eggs will slowly cook in the simmering sauce. Some recipes call for putting the entire skillet in the oven at 350 to allow the egg whites to set firmly but I left mine on the stove and let them cook in the sauce for 8 min. The egg whites will change from translucent to white as they cook. Ideally, the egg yolks should be runny to semi-gelatinous. The gooey egg, once it breaks among the sauce on your plate is divine!
To serve, gently scoop out a portion of the sauce including one egg onto a plate. Sprinkle parsley on top, add a little freshly ground black pepper and you are good to go! This make s a fabulous breakfast, brunch or dinner and believe it or not, reheats well.
