Shakshuka | My Paris Kitchen

Shakshuka is a dish of eggs poached in a spiced sauce of tomatoes. It has its origin in North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia), although the dish is hugely popular in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions. David Lebovitz explains that his version here (in My Paris Kitchen) is the result of criss-crossing cultural boundaries. In part, he gets his inspiration from Yotam Ottolenghi, from whom I’ve seen a variety of the shakshuka recipes.

This spicy, warming, vegetable and egg dish is a perfect way to start the day. Whatever its origins, shakshuka, which means “all mixed up” in Hebrew, is healthy and nutritious. Reputedly, it’s also a fine cure for a hangover and has become a firm staple of the Israeli diet.

In this recipe, David uses onion, freshly diced chili pepper, garlic and a spice mix: paprika, caraway, cumin, turmeric. Of course, salt and pepper, for seasoning. We had shakshuka for dinner a few nights ago. After the first bite, my husband got very curious about the dish and the spice mix. “Is the spice harissa,?” he asked. It’s an interesting question that I didn’t have a complete answer for. He also wanted to know how to spell “shakshuka”; I stumbled a bit but got it right in the end.

After checking and reviewing Ottolenghi’s shakshuka recipes (in Jerusalem), indeed, harissa (2 tablespoons) and, to a lesser extent, cumin (1 teaspoon) are the two spices he uses. Clearly, we can substitute harissa for the list of spices, which give shakshuka its distinct spicy kick.

Notably, there are many variations on the recipe. Red peppers are the seasonal ingredients for the summer shakshuka. Whereas, potatoes are great to use during the winter and eggplants in the spring. As long as there are eggs and a can of tomatoes around, a nourishing shakshuka is only minutes away. I have made shakshuka more than once in the last few days. Unfortunately, I overcooked the eggs in both cases, as shown in the pictures.

I really like the spiced and fiery tomato sauce as the base for the gently cooked eggs. If you make batches of the sauce ahead and save them in the freezer, a comforting meal of shakshuka can be had as quickly as fast food.