Shakshuka Recipe with Fresh Tomatoes | Aline Made (2024)

FAQs

Can you make shakshuka without bell peppers? ›

While I did add onion, red bell pepper, and garlic to give the sauce a little extra texture and 'oompf,' you can totally make this shakshuka recipe without pepper! Instead of the bell pepper, I would suggest substituting carrot or even potatoes, just know the cook time will be longer if you use potatoes.

Even though many people today associate shakshuka with Israel, it actually originated in North Africa and the Ottoman Empire: the only reason shakshuka is eaten in Israel is because North African Jewish immigrants brought it there. This brings us to a contentious topic: food appropriation.

Essentially, Shakshuka is a delicious dish made up of eggs that have been poached in an herb-filled tomato sauce (sometimes sausage or ground meat is added as well). The sauce is normally flavored with cumin, paprika, garlic, and other strong spices.

Green Shakshuka Ingredients

Leeks and Asparagus: These spring vegetables add a delicate, slightly sweet flavor that brightens the dish. Green Peas: Use fresh or frozen. Once blanched, peas create a smooth texture when blended into the broth. Eggs: The eggs are poached in the vegetables to runny-yolked perfection.

Both Shakshuka and Menemen serve as rich, cultural embodiments of their respective cuisines. Shakshuka, with its layered flavors, mirrors the diversity of North African and Israeli culinary heritage. Menemen, by contrast, champions simplicity and freshness, epitomizing Turkish cuisine's essence.

Vegetable substitutions are highly dependent on the recipe at hand. Only context will tell whether a tomato, grassy leaf, or broccoli (to name a few) would be the best bell pepper substitute outside of the Capsicum genus. But chili pepper substitutions can work more often than not.

The main difference between shakshuka and eggs in purgatory is the spices and herbs. Skakshuka features Middle Eastern spices, such as cumin and sweet paprika. Eggs in purgatory does not include these spices and uses Italian herbs, such as oregano and basil.

Showing your stomach is not a big deal in cities like Haifa or Tel Aviv. Also, very few Israeli women wear shorts! Even though it is VERY hot in Israel, wear pants and get used to it. Jeans, stretch, or wide legged pants – you can buy these for basically 5 American dollars in most places in Israel.

It is believed to have a Tunisian origin. Shakshuka means "a mixture" or “shaken” in Tunisian dialect. Shakshuka is a staple of Tunisian, Libyan, Algerian, and Moroccan cuisines traditionally served up in a cast iron pan with bread to mop up the sauce (most important).

Growing up in Egypt, my favorite was from a Cairo restaurant near the Nile called Felfela, where they served shakshuka eggs mild or spicy, with or without meat (often small chunks of beef or lamb), with a stack of warm pita bread.

What side dish goes with shakshuka? ›

For a very western version, you'll want to make a classic no-knead bread (super easy!) for the occasion. But for a Middle Eastern version like the one I'm suggesting here, you'll swap white bread with pita bread! I like the whole wheat version better as I find it more nutritious, but whichever would do.

It's a toss-up as to whether it's more fun to say "shakshuka" or the name of its Turkish counterpart, menemen, but both are incredibly tasty, straightforward dishes that should be in your arsenal.

Turkish menemen is very similar to shakshuka, but there's a lesser-known Turkish eggs recipe that's incredibly delicious too. This, called cilbir, involves poaching eggs, then laying them on a swirl of garlic-infused yoghurt, topping with a nutty chilli butter and fresh dill fronds.

A conventionally Jewish breakfast recipe that immigrated to Israel from North Africa, Shakshuka is a dish traditionally cooked in a cast iron skillet, consisting of poached eggs sitting atop a rich sauce of tomatoes and sautéed vegetables.

2. **Paprika:** Smoked paprika or regular paprika can add a subtle smokiness and color to your boiled egg. 3. **Chopped Herbs:** Fresh herbs like chives, parsley, dill, or tarragon can provide a burst of fresh flavor.

Onion. Like garlic, onion is a kitchen staple many home cooks use to season their favorite recipes. Minced or chopped onions can provide an intense burst of fresh flavor to your eggs. If you're running short on time, adding a dash of onion powder to your eggs will give them a similar kick with no chopping required.

Green bell peppers are slightly bitter and grassy, making them an ideal red onion substitute. Meanwhile, yellow, red, and orange bell peppers are sweeter, so choose any of them when you need a yellow, white, or sweet onion substitute.