Peppers, tomatoes give egg dish color
Just because summer’s officially over, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the fruits of its labor. Farmers markets are piled high with local vegetables, and not just with fall offerings such as squash and root vegetables.
You still can find tomatoes and a colorful array of peppers, which work in harmony in this easy Middle Eastern egg dish. It calls for yellow peppers to make a bright sunshine-hued bowl, but you always could substitute red for a more classic take, or even mix the two hues for a more vibrant meal.
Served with a crusty bread, this one-pot meal is just the thing for a lazy weekend brunch, or quick (and inexpensive) supper.
Golden Shakshuka
For the yogurt sauce: ½ cup Greek yogurt 1 teaspoon honey Juice of ¼ lemon For the eggs: Olive oil, for sauteing 2 onions, thinly sliced
Golden Shakshuka
2 yellow bell peppers, thinly
sliced
½ teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon ground turmeric ½ teaspoon dried or fresh
thyme
½ teaspoon ground coriander Pinch of ground red pepper (cayenne) or ½ teaspoon spicy harissa sauce
2 cups yellow (or red) cherry
tomatoes, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped to a paste with ½ teaspoon salt 2 eggs
Handful of fresh herbs, chopped (cilantro, mint and/ or parsley)
Dusting of za’atar (see note) Crusty bread, for serving
For the yogurt sauce, mix yogurt, honey and lemon juice in bowl; set aside.
Add drizzle of olive oil to a skillet and place over mediumlow heat. Stir-fry onion until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes.
Add peppers, cumin, turmeric, thyme, coriander and cayenne to skillet. Stir to coat onions and peppers with spices.
Add cherry tomatoes and garlic-salt mixture and cook over low heat 15 minutes, stirring frequently. If sauce begins to dry out, add a little oil and water but add sparingly as the shakshuka should not be watery.
Use back of spoon to make two shallow indentations in the surface of the shakshuka and crack an egg into each. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until you have a dry sauce with the eggs just set. Remove from heat.
Serve in bowls with a drizzling of yogurt sauce and topped with fresh herbs and za’atar. Use bread to scoop up the sauce.
Makes 2 servings.
Note: Za’atar is a spice blend commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine. It is available at specialty stores. If you can’t find it, substitute a mixture of toasted sesame seeds, ground sumac or dried lemon peel, dried oregano and salt.