Shakshuka

Shakshuka originated in North Africa. And as with all great recipes it has many variations. It is commonly thought of as a single skillet Israeli breakast dish. I like the simplicity of a single skillet dish and the heat of the cayenne being balance by the cooling feta.

Shakshuka (photo from NYT Cooking)

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne, or to taste

1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes with their juices, coarsely chopped

¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more as needed

5 ounces feta, crumbled (about 1¼ cups)

6 large eggs

Chopped cilantro, for serving

Hot sauce, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Step 1

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook gently until very soft, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes; stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne, and cook 1 minute. Pour in tomatoes and season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in crumbled feta.

Step 2

Gently crack eggs into skillet over tomatoes. Season eggs with salt and pepper. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until eggs are just set, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with hot sauce.