Few proteins are as cheap and satisfying as eggs. A dozen eggs will set you back only a few dollars. They’re chock-full of proteins, fats, and nutrients like choline linked to everything from alleviating hangovers to preventing breast cancer . And they’re versatile enough to function as a go-to option for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. But perhaps the best thing about eggs is that they’re incredibly easy to cook.
Here is simple and satisfying egg recipe for poaching eggs in tomato sauce. It is hundreds of years old, and requires no more equipment or skill than a crude knife, a pan, and a heat source.
Easy Egg Recipes for Breakfast or Dinner: Shakshuka
Shakshuka (or shakshouka) is most commonly known in the United States as an Israeli breakfast dish. However, shakshuka is served throughout much of the Mediterranean–particularly in Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.
While the history of shakshuka is unknown, it seems safe to argue that its origins lie in North Africa and Spain. Three of shakshuka’s most common ingredients–tomatoes, paprika, and chili peppers–were brought from the Americas to North Africa and Spain by Spanish explorers in the 15th and 16th centuries–where they remain an integral part of the region’s cuisine.
In fact, Italian cultural historians Alberto Capatti and Massimo Montanari argue that much of Europe originally disregarded the tomato and chili pepper as merely “ornamental fruit” and botanical curiosities.
It wasn’t until the publication in 1693 of recipes by Antonio Latini of Naples that the tomato made its way to the tables of the European elite. In Latini’s “Lo Scalco alla Moderna” he begins each tomato-based recipe with the note “in the Spanish style”–providing further evidence for the tomato’s association with Iberia, a culinary connection that lasted until the early 20th century. In the L.A. Times Cookbook No.2 published in 1905, virtually any recipe containing a tomato was still referred to as a “Spanish” dish .
When the Moors and Sephardic Jews were expelled from Spain and Portugal in the 15th and 16th centuries, they fled to safer ground in places like Fez, Tlemcen, and all the Berber provinces of the Maghreb, as well as Turkey, and Naples. In the 20th century, their descendants from around the Mediterranean brought countless versions of shakshuka to Israel, where the simple dish challenges hummus and falafel as a national favorite today .
The word shakshuka is an onomatopoeic word that means “all mixed up” in Hebrew and Arabic.
Shakshuka: Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ cup olive oil
2 jalapenos or chilies of your choice, cut in thirds
3 cloves garlic, roughly sliced
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, or fresh equivalent
6 large eggs
Water
Salt and pepper
Crusty bread or warm pita
As a skillet warms over medium high heat, toss the paprika and cumin to lightly toast it. Once it’s fragrant (not burnt) add the olive oil, chilies, and garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onions and cook till translucent. Crush the tomatoes with your hands and add them to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Add a splash of water if the sauce is too thick–maybe ½ cup or so. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Crack the eggs over the sauce and cover for 2-3 minutes until the whites are firm and set, but the yolks are still runny. Serve with crusty old bread or warm pitas to sop up the sauce.
Sources:
USDA, Choline Content of Common Foods , 2004
Choline: An Essential Nutrient for Public Health
High intakes of choline and betaine reduce breast cancer mortality in a population-based study
Alberto Capatti, Massimo Montanari, Italian Cuisine: A Cultural History , pg . 42-43, 2003
The Los Angeles Times Cookbook, No.2, 1905
Jacob Marcus, The Jew in the Medieval World: A Sourcebook, 315-1791, pg. 51-55, 1938
Bernard Josephs, “Shakshuka: Israel’s Hottest Breakfast Dish,” The Jewish Chronicle
