budget dinner for one – shakshuka

Shakshuka is an exciting breakfast dish with tomato and eggs from the Middle East – great for lunch, brunch or dinner. Here I  have simplified the moderate all-in-one dish, normally I would soak up the good sauce with a piece of great bread … didn’t have any at home. So I had it on its own.

This is what Wikipedia tells us about the dish: Shakshouka (Arabic: شكشوكة‎, Hebrew: שקשוקה‎, also spelt shakshuka, chakchouka) is a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, chilli peppers, and onions, commonly spiced with cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg. Less commonly used ingredients include Tabasco sauce and honey.  Shakka, meaning “stick together, clump together, adhere or cohere”

I had it for lunch in Istanbul in 2017 … a fantastic tasty dish. The Internet is full of variations and versions on the dish, this is my version from what I had in my cupboard and fridge.

Yesterday was a grey and wet day, so I decided to spend my day indoors with my steam station (iron) and use up what I got at home. This is also a quick fix dinner, it takes about 15 min in total with the chopping of the onions.

I’m probably the only professional chef in the world that advocates for frozen herbs. First of all is it for me very convenient because I can always have a big variety in my freezer, what I can’t buy as frozen a product I freeze myself, like mint. For me the bring a lot more flavour to the dishes because when they defrost they give a juice with a very intense flavour. 

Most of the time when I buy fresh herbs they don’t even smell, have to buy in pots from the supermarkets. Also, frozen herbs are prepared and frozen on the day of picking, hard to get that fresh even on a farmers market. Shot me .. if I’m wrong.

This recipe is for one person!!!

Shukshuka, serves 1 person
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 red paprika, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
200 gr chopped tomatoes, 1/2 tin for me.
1 tsp (5 ml) chilli flakes and paprika powder
1 pinch of ground cumin and nutmeg
1 pinch of my Canadian Bacon Sea Salt (not for a vegetarian version)
2 tsp (10ml) honey
2 eggs
chopped parsley for garnish

1. Heat up 1 tbsp (15ml) of oil in a non-stick pan, add the chopped red onion, crushed garlic clove and the diced red pepper. Saute for 3-4 min.
2. Add the crushed tomatoes and all the spices. Add the honey.
3. Cook for 5-10 min until the mixture thickens. Using a spoon, make 2 egg-shapes hollows in the mixture and crack 1 egg into each hollow.
4. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5-6 mins or until the eggs are set.
5. Serve in the dish garnished with some chopped parsley (I used frozen)

Normally I would eat with a thick slice of good bread with this dish, but didn’t feel for getting all wet for a slice of bread.

This dish is suitable for both lunch and dinner, maybe a bit too spicy for breakfast … at least for me!

התיאבון! = Bon appetit!

“if god had intended us to follow recipes,
He wouldn’t have given us grandmothers.”
Linda Henle