Whether you want a quick dinner or a savory breakfast, the answer is always shakshuka. Veteran culinary creator Christopher Kimball's latest book, The Milk Street Cookbook, has an easy, tasty recipe for the dish, which consists of "eggs poached in a spiced sauce of tomatoes and bell pepper."
"Shakshuka is said to be North African in origin and was brought to Israel by Maghrebi Jews," Kimball explains. "Easy and adaptable but terrifically delicious, it has gained worldwide popularity and given rise to shakshuka of all types — from 'green' to grain-based."
"For this version, we use harissa, a North African spice paste and a must-have ingredient in our pantry, to infuse the sauce with bold, rich flavor," Kimball writes. "Serve with warm flatbread or hunks torn from a crusty loaf."
Shakshuka
Author: Christopher Kimball
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Calories: 240 calories per serving
Servings: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
- 1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced OR ½ cup drained and thinly sliced roasted red peppers
- 1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 2 tablespoons harissa paste
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley OR cilantro
Directions
1. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the bell pepper, onion and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is light golden brown, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the tomatoes with juices, the harissa and ½ cup water. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pepper and onion are fully softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
3. Reduce to medium-low, then use the back of a large spoon to make 6 evenly spaced indentations in the tomatoes and sauce, each about 2 inches in diameter. Crack 1 egg into each well, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny, 5 to 8 minutes, rotating the skillet halfway through for even cooking. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with parsley and drizzle with additional oil.
Optional garnish: Crumbled feta cheese OR plain yogurt OR chopped pitted black or green olives OR a combination
Excerpted from THE MILK STREET COOKBOOK by Christopher Kimball. Copyright © 2027 by CPK Media, LLC. Photograph by Connie Miller of CB Creatives. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.
