Eggs in Purgatory or Shakshuka

There’s something special—even exotic—about starting off your morning with a piping hot, brightly colored plate of Shakshuka or Eggs in Purgatory, a Israeli-tunisian egg dish that’s packed with flavor and, usually, a lot of spice!

The antioxidant-rich tomatoes, coupled with the warming properties of the hot pepper, make it a dish that’ll perk up your taste buds and the rest of you with every savory bite. Generally served at breakfast, this is a meal happily eaten at any time.

What I love about Shakshuka is that the dish lets you be creative and get liberal with your favorite ingredients. Shakshuka literally means “all mixed up” in Hebrew, and that’s part of the fun of making it. If you prefer your eggs poached to over-easy, go ahead! If you want extra onion, throw it in! For those that relish a real spicy kick, add a few more slices of hot pepper to the mix, and if you can’t take the heat, just leave them out. The choice is yours!

The sauce is just made for dipping, so consider soaking up the medley of rich flavors with pita, or hearty toasted sourdough or french bread. 

This is a crowd friendly meal as well, it's just as easy to have two pans going as it is one. 

Ingredients

2 tsp of olive oil 

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1 sweet red pepper, sliced

1/2 small onion, diced  

2 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped

1cup Kale or chard leaves, chopped 

2 tsp paprika

One 28-oz can of whole-peeled tomatoes in juice

Salt and pepper to taste

3-4 eggs

1-2 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

Heat the oil in your skillet and add hot peppers, red pepper, and onion. Sauté on medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until the onion turns golden brown and the peppers soften. Add the garlic, kale or chard and paprika and cook for one more minute.

Reduce heat to low. Add the tomatoes with their juice and break up the sauce with your spatula. Let it simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes, until sauce has slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Crack each egg on top of the sauce, one at a time, so that they’re evenly distributed across the skillet.  Allow the eggs to set and cook over-easy on top of the sauce for about 10 to 15 minutes. Check on the Shakshuka while it cooks to make sure the eggs don’t get overdone and the sauce doesn’t burn. Garnish with fresh cilantro and parsley, and serve with the bread of your choice.

Recipe Adapted from: Real Simple

Enjoy!

  This recipe is shared on Link parties. Also shared on http:// www.thecountrycook.net and http://www.bunsinmyoven.com/ and http://www.foodiefriendsfridaydailydish.com