Shak-What? I’ll let Wikipedia explain: “Shakshuka is a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, chili peppers, and onions, often spiced with cumin. Its present egg and vegetable-based form originated in North Africa. It is popular in the Middle East and North Africa.” And our home; it’s delicious.

Curry is not traditionally in the recipe list, but I love the added flavor of curry in this dish. One would usually top with cilantro, but since I have the gene that makes cilantro taste like soap, I choose to top it with basil. I also like to add cheese, well because, it’s cheese. If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, you can place a lid on your skillet for about 8 minutes to cook the eggs.

Ingredients

• 1 28-ounce can Tomatoes, diced with juice
• 6 Eggs
• 1/2 Sweet or Yellow Onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 Garlic Cloves, mashed
• 1/2 tsp + Curry Powder
• 1/2 tsp+ Ground Cumin
• 1/2 tsp+ Sweet Paprika
• 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• Basil, fresh and chiffon
• Feta Cheese, crumbled 
• Parmesan Cheese, shaved or shredded
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• Olive Oil or Butter
• Bread

Preheat the oven to 375. In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil or butter and then the onion and red pepper. Let simmer, stirring occasionally until the onion becomes translucent and the red peppers soften. Turn the heat down and mix in the mashed garlic cloves, careful to not let the garlic burn.  Next, add the tomatoes and season with the curry powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. Let the sauce simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally for at least 20 minutes. The longer it simmers, the more the flavor will develop. Just before serving, turn up the heat to medium. As the sauce starts to bubble slightly, create little pockets in the sauce with a spoon and crack an egg into each pocket. Season the eggs with salt & pepper and then top the dish with the cheeses. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for 7-10 minutes, until the eggs are set. Remove from the oven and garnish with the fresh basil. Serve on it’s own or with bread, such as a baguette, pita or challah.