Shakshuka with Eggplant and Goat Cheese

It’s December - where did the year go? Today I pulled out the Christmas decorations (I may have too many trees); the mantel is ready, and tomorrow I’ll add lights to and finish the outside decorations. For those of you who follow my blog, the windows have still not arrived so I’m just going to decorate and be done with it. 

I’m finalizing holiday gifts (still waiting for one gift list), and thinking there might be some baking this weekend. My eye surgeries are complete and all is well - there will be cataract surgery most likely in the next 2 years - it sucks to get old. Big news - Dan needs cataract surgery and he has a consultation in early February to get the process rolling!

I had lunch with my friend Ellen at The Lynhall this week, I tried the shakshuka, which was delicious. My only complaint was that the eggplant was hard to find. When I told Dan about it he was so jealous - he loves eggplant. So I promised him I would make a batch. 

I’ve never made or had shakshuka before - I love the depth of the roasted eggplant and the smokiness of the paprika, it’s all good. They served it with chickpea fries, which were also delicious and are now on my “need to figure out how they did that” list. 

As it turns out shakshuka is not hard to make; a little roasting, chopping, and sautéing are done.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

4 tablespoons good olive oil

2 teaspoons sea salt, divided

1 yellow onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon curry powder

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

pinch ground black pepper

28 oz crushed tomatoes

Some goat cheese 

4-5 eggs

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Pierce the eggplant's skin in several places. Roast it on a lined baking sheet until soft, 35 to 45 minutes. Once the eggplant is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool. Then, slice the eggplant open and scoop out the flesh. Discard the. skins and set aside the flesh.

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet or straight-sided sauté pan over high heat until shimmering. Add the onion, red pepper, and one teaspoon of sea salt. Cook until the vegetables have softened and are beginning to char in spots, 6-7 minutes.

Add the garlic, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Then add the remaining spices, constantly stirring for another 30 seconds.

Immediately add the eggplant flesh, stirring until it is broken down and fully incorporated into the vegetables and spices, 2-3 minutes.

Last, add the tomatoes, and the remaining salt, and stir to combine. When the tomato sauce bubbles, reduce the heat to low and allow it to simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Once most of the liquid is cooked off, use a spoon to create four to 5 small wells in the sauce. Crack the eggs into each well. Cover the pan, and cook for 4 - 5 minutes, until the eggs are done to your liking.

Serve with warm bread for dipping.

Thanks for stopping by!