Always start with some good food: my own authentic Shakshuka
Hi folks! This post was actually my first ever guest post at a close friend’s blogdump, and now it’s the first post in my OWN blog š next I’m going to discover The Backstreet Boys, an exciting new band… š
Ok, so – I feel there’s nothing better than introducing my own secret (shhhh…) recipe for a traditional Mediterranean Shakshuka (fried tomato+egg dish) with what you probably have in your house. well, except for maybe tomato puree. go get it.
Now, when I cook, I usually prefer to work harder but make smaller portions. the dish is much better when cooked in small quantities because itās easier to control and fine tune, every little thing counts: the cookware, the spices, the technique. letās hope you enjoy this dish at least as much as I do:
To serve 2 youāre gonna need:
Firstly, youāre gonna need a tin skillet/pan, about 8ā³ in diameter. yes. tin. it sears it all real good. if you canāt get one just use any pan. donāt use a pot.
Ok, now the ingredients:
1 large clove of garlic. finely chopped
2 ripe (!!) chubby tomatoes, gutted and diced (as in, take out the inside and throw it away. thatās 1/2 of the secret to the tasteā¦)
2 eggs
100% natural tomato puree (not paste, not sauce, not juice. puree).
Fresh black pepper
Salt
Sugar
Paprika
I also add Sriracha sauce or Jalapinio pepper, to spice things up. you donāt have to tho.
alternatively you can add goat cheese, feta cheese, or even sausages. I donāt.
Hereās how it happens:
pour a thick layer of olive oil (donāt be cheap!) to the pan, fire on max. this thing is going quick & painful (for the panā¦)
let the oil warm up, then throw the garlic in. let it fry for 10 seconds, or at least until you sense that they would imminently start burning (donāt let it brown! it ruins the dish).
throw the thinly diced tomatoes and stir until they start to soften and add 3 tea spoons of paprika.
Add in the tomato puree, the trick here is to have the tomatoes āswimā in puree, but not disappear. the tomatoes need to be visible so their fresh taste wonāt go away. trust your eye on this.
then let it simmer while occasionally stirring. add a thin layer of black pepper (freshly ground of course), salt to taste (donāt be shy), and then a brave 3/4 spoon of sugar. stir over and over again (not continuously but with a sense of commitment).
once the sauce is bubbling and the mix is thicker than it is runny, give it a swift spill of olive oil (make a line shape), and finally, the egg. DONāT STIR. leave it whole. then let it simmer for ~5 more minutes with the egg inside (or until you reckon the egg is done). if you like a well cooked yolk, cover the pan throughout this interval. make sure your final result is thick and aromatic, borderline burnt (but not really). I recommend eating it directly from the pan with white bread.
now you have a surprisingly minimalistic yet delicious Shakshuka.
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