Taste testing shakshuka.

While in New York, I was invited by my friend Adrienne to appear as a guest chef on her YouTube cooking show xoxocooks. A 3-minute “adult cooking” blitz complete with beer breaks and swearing, the only way to cook! 😛 My episode features cooking my most favorite easy-cheap-healthy-anytime dish: shakshuka. It was a super blast to tape and pretty entertaining to watch if I do say so myself. I’m really excited to share it with you all. You must must must check it out. 🙂

For the recipe-inclined, here are the deets:

* olive oil – 2T to start, then another 2T for frying spices
* tomatoes – 1 28oz can or approximately 4 fresh, or a combination of canned and fresh
* 1 yellow onion, chopped
* 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
* vegetables, chopped: my favorites are carrots, red bell peppers, and butternut squash, but use what you like/have
* leafy greens, thinly sliced: I like to mix in chiffonade spinach, bok choy, or other leafy green, but this is optional
* chili pepper, minced
* spices: this can also be adapted to what you have/like. I usually use a mix of cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika, cayenne, cinnamon
* 2 eggs per person
* salt
* pepper
* toppings: chopped fresh cilantro, feta cheese or greek yogurt

1) Dice vegetables into small pieces all approximately the same size.
2) Heat 2T oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, sautee for 2-3 minutes then add other vegetables and chili. Sautee a few minutes until they begin to soften and are bright in color.
3) Add a little more oil, then fry spices in the oil for 60 seconds until they are fragrant.
4) Reduce heat to medium and add tomatoes with their juice. Cover and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.
5) Return to your pot; juices should have been released so it’s now a thick soupy consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning.
6) Add leafy greens.
7) Reduce heat to low. With a spoon make indents in the vegetable mixture and crack in the eggs, evenly spaced. Cover and cook for a few minutes. Return and base the eggs gently with juice from the vegetable mixture. Cook eggs to your desired doneness, often covered, jiggling the pot to test how cooked they are. I prefer a runny yolk so cook my eggs longer on a low heat, watching closely so as not to overcook.
8) Spoon out eggs and vegetables into a bowl. Top with salt, pepper, chopped fresh cilantro, and feta or greek yogurt and EAT!! 🙂 Great served with bread and a green salad.

All said, this is a customizable recipe. If you like butternut squash or mushrooms or chicken or whatever else–throw it in! Don’t like spinach? Take it out. Cook with what tastes good to you, be creative, and enjoy. Here’s another take on shakshuka that is more classic than mine, and I bet would be super tasty.