Shakshuka, a Homey Tunisian Egg Dish

Shake Shake Shake, Shake Shake Shake, Shake Your Shuka - KC and the Sunshine Band

This week's post, actually it should have been last week's but I got busy, it is going to be quick and dirty. I won't make excuses. I promised a simple weekly post about what we were eating and here it is week two, and I already screwed up. We had planned a weekend away from Vancouver's snowmageddon, visiting family in Poulsbo, Washington then a leisurely drive down the coast to Astoria, Oregon in search of the Goonies. Everything was so rushed to get on the road that I forgot my sole New Year's resolution. I did not have a lot of time to think so I reached for a dish that was quick and packed a lot of spicy, comforting flavors. The kind of dish you would probably make hurriedly after finding out your friends, whom you had forgotten that you drunkenly invited over for brunch three weeks ago, was going to be only a few minutes late.

Shakshuka is one of those dishes that crosses all cultural boundaries and in the process, has become as ubiquitous on menus worldwide as New England Clam Chowder is in the United States. Shakshuka is piperade on spicy steroids. The word itself translates to "mixture" and generally implies an egg dish with a tomato and chili sauce. It is as much a culinary chameleon as pistou is in Provencal cuisine. You can add whatever you have on hand and still call it shakshuka, baby. I have friends who told me of adding chorizo, goose, fried sweet potatoes or eggplant, but I like a simpler version.

Shakshuka, a Tunisian Egg Dish

A comforting melange of eggs cooked in a tomato and chili sauce,

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 sweet onion (chopped)
• 2 red peppers (chopped)
• 8 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
• 1 - inch section of ginger root (peeled and minced)
• 1 28 - ounce San Marzano tomatoes
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tbsp harissa
• salt and pepper
• 8 eggs
• 4 ounces labne (mascarpone, yogurt, feta)
• 4 scallions (chopped)

1. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan until smoking hot. Add onions, peppers, and garlic and saute over high heat for five minutes. Add minced ginger root and saute two more minutes. Add tomatoes, cumin, harissa, salt, and pepper and cook over moderate heat for 30 minutes.

2. Now you have to decide how you want to serve this. You could use one big pan as a presentation or use individual pans. Whichever way, crack your eggs into a bowl and make sure they are all good. Make little indentations in the shakshuka and put the eggs in. Bake at 350 until the eggs are set, about 5 to 8 minutes. You can also cook slowly on your stovetop or even put in your broiler.

3. When the eggs are cooked to whatever doneness you like, spoon labne, mascarpone, Greek yogurt, or even crumble feta cheese over. Garnish with chopped green onions and serve.

This recipe makes a basic shakshuka. At this point, you can add whatever you like to embellish it.