Shakshuka

If you like savory breakfasts, and you enjoy dipping bread into a runny yolk, then you will really enjoy this Israeli breakfast special.  The sauce has a nice spice to it and the eggs are poached just perfectly from nesting in the warm sauce.  Topped with cheese and cilantro for the finishing touch!

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Recipe courtesy of Mimi Katani, Tasting Table

INGREDIENTS

2 plum tomatoes, peeled and divided

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

½ yellow onion, peeled and halved

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 jalapeño—stemmed, seeded and roughly chopped

1 cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon cumin

One 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand

Kosher salt, to taste

4 eggs

Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Pita, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to broil. Halve 1 of the plum tomatoes and place on a baking sheet. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the onion. Roast, turning as needed, until lightly charred, 7 minutes for the tomato and 12 minutes for the onion.

2. Roughly chop the remaining plum tomato. In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, heat the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, jalapeño, cinnamon stick and cumin, and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the roasted vegetables, the chopped plum tomato and the canned tomatoes, and bring to a simmer. Cook until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Season with salt.

3. Make 4 wells in the sauce and crack 1 egg into each. Season each egg with salt, then cover the pan and continue to simmer until the eggs are just set but still have runny yolks, 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with pita.