Single Dinner Series: Shakshuka

Hello Gallivanters!

Listen closely as I am going to make the long story of how I fell in love with food, short.

As some of you may know, my career is in the wellness and nutrition industry. Although, when I was growing up, I never truly knew what I wanted to do.

I never felt a “calling” to any one career over another.

It wasn’t that I couldn’t find something I liked, the problem was that I loved almost everything.

Namely, I loved the idea of travel. Or maybe it was the idea that I could be transported somewhere else. Into someone else.

I love love. I love people. So when I went to college, I found myself drawn to a career in Anthropology, and to a slightly older guy with an off-campus apartment.

Although I didn’t end up as an Archeologist or with him, I did end up with a newfound love that I owe to him: cooking.

He was a great cook, and as a freshman in college whose only prayer for sustenance was from the on-campus dining hall, my brief relationship with him began my love affair with preparing meals at home.

I was built for it. I had the patience to let a dish simmer, marinate, and rest. I had the young, eagerness to learn. I wanted to soak up as much culinary knowledge from other people as I could, especially if they were from a different part of the world than me.

What I discovered long after him, was that my favorite part of cooking was trying to recreate dishes from different cultures, while incorporating techniques and ingredients from my Southern roots.

The love I have for my kitchen is still going strong and has inspired me to make it a hobby as well as my career.

Now, cooking is my me time. It also allows me to travel to new places using only a few ingredients.

One of these transformative, unbelievably easy dishes that I love is known as Shakshuka.

It seems every country wants to stake the claim that this savory dish originated from them. I’ve heard people swear that Shakshuka was first from Morocco, Yemen, Turkey, or Tunisia. No matter the discourse over where it comes from, everyone agrees that Shakshuka is devilishly delicious.

For example, in the Southern United States, you may have heard it called Eggs in Purgatory.

The name, Eggs in Purgatory, refers to how the poached eggs sit in simmering tomatoes, onion, garlic, and bell pepper. And of course, the heat behind it all.

Is it breakfast? Lunch? Or Dinner? Yes. Yes it is.

Hungry yet? For you, I will go back to my culinary roots and share a short recipe on how to prepare Shakshuka/Eggs in Purgatory.

Shakshuka for One

Ingredients:

  1. In a Medium skillet, combine olive oil, garlic and onion. Simmer. Stir consistently to prevent burning.
  2. Once onions are translucent, add diced bell peppers. Continue stirring.
  3. Slightly drain juice from diced tomatoes. Once bell peppers have simmered, pour in one 14 oz can of tomatoes and cover the skillet with lid.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once preheated, add baguette bread slices until toasted.
  5. Uncover the skillet, and burrow two holes in the simmering tomato dish with a wooden spoon. Crack eggs straight into those holes/pockets. Cover with lid. Simmer until eggs are poached.
  6. Remove bread from oven, and uncover skillet. Take skillet directly to the table and set onto pot holder. Garnish eggs with Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Use a knife to slice into egg yolk and use a baguette as dipping tool for the yolk.
  8. Enjoy, and write a comment thanking me later.

The best part of this dish is that there are countless variations of Shakshuka, as it’s many names suggest.

The last step is actually mandatory for the recipe, as it lets me know your thoughts and what you may have done differently so that we can all continue to learn from each other.

So enjoy, soak it all up, soak it all in.

Eat and Live Well.

-Allison

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