Shakshuka With Feta Cheese

Feta ShakshukaA while back I needed a fast vegetarian recipe that works well for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I was in charge of doing a virtual team building exercise for my team at work. We were split between Chicago and London with several different food restrictions. The decision was made for it be a “cook-a-long”. I decided on shakshuka, because it is fast, easy and works well for any meal. It is a dish of eggs simmered in a spicy tomato sauce that originates from the Middle East and North Africa.

Shakshuka is great recipe for the “nine days“. The nine days are time a traditional time of mourning when many Jews do not eat meat. While this recipe is already pretty easy, if you are is a rush you can take a short cut and use jarred salsa instead of peppers, onions, hot sauce, and crushed tomatoes.

0 from 0 votes
Feta Shakshuka
Shakshuka With Feta Cheese
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
 

Shakshuka is a fast vegetarian egg dish that works well for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, that is great for the "nine days".

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Israeli, Jewish, Kosher, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Servings: 2 Serving
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • Cups Canned Crushed Tomatoes
  • 1 Medium Onion Diced
  • 1 Medium Sweet Bell Pepper Diced
  • 3 Large Eggs Brought to room temperature
  • 1/4 Cup Feta Cheese Crumbled
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp Schug , Harrisa, or the hot sauce of your choice Optional
  • Salt and Pepper To taste
  • Crusty Sourdough Toast or Baguette For serving
Instructions
  1. Take the eggs out of the refrigerator and allow them to come to room temperature.

  2. Place the pan over low heat and add the oil and the onions. Season the onions with salt and pepper to taste. Sauté the onions until they begin to become translucent.

  3. Add the bell peppers to the pan and sauté until the peppers begin to soften. Add the crushed tomatoes and bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir in the schug, harrisa, or the hot sauce of your choice, if you want to add a kick.

  4. Carefully crack the eggs directly in to the pan, making sure not to break the yolks. Allow the eggs to simmer in the tomatoes until the whites are set and yolks just stark to thicken. Top with the feta and a little more black pepper.

  5. This is traditionally eaten right out of the pan accompanied by some toast or crusty bread.

Lamb Bacon Chili Shakshuka With Quail Eggs

Before you ask, yes you can may this with any type of bacon and eggs, it does not need to be lamb bacon or quail eggs.  I happened to have some excellent lamb bacon from CWS Meats and I also managed to find a local small chain grocery store that regularly carries kosher quail eggs.  I figured a kosher bacon and egg change would be a great one for me and Rachel.

Lately it has been wet, cold and gray in Chicago so I was craving something warm and hearty.  As we are getting close to Passover I did not want to buy any new ingredients, so I rummaged through my fridge and came up with this shakshuka recipe.  Shakshuka is generally made by simmering vegetables in a tomato sauce, and then carefully adding whole eggs and cooking they until the whites are set and the yolks are just warmed through.  Chili peppers are often added to the sauce to give it a kick.

This recipe can easily be scaled up and down for more people, or for that matter the size of your pan.  This recipe comes out wonderfully in  cast iron skillet, but a saute pan or a large frying pan will work in a pinch.

Don’t forget to check out Rachel’s dish using the lamb bacon and quail eggs and let us know which you liked better in the comment.  Hers can be found here: Lamb Bacon French Fries topped with Quail Eggs and Chopped Parsley

5 from 1 vote
Lamb Bacon Chili Shakshuka With Quail Eggs
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mediterranean, Mexican
Servings: 4
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 6 Slices Lamb, Beef, or Pork Bacon Diced
  • 1/2 lb Ground Beef
  • 1 Medium Onion Diced
  • 6 Medium Mushrooms Sliced
  • 1 Each Red and Green Pepper Diced
  • 15 oz Can of Tomato Sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
  • Slices of Pickled Jalapenos For garnish if you like it hot
  • Torilla Chips
Instructions
  1. Put a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy. Remove the bacon, keeping the fat in the pan.
  2. Add the ground beef and cook until completely browned. Remove the ground beef, again leaving the fat in the pan.
  3. Add the onions and cook until the start to brown. Add the peppers and mushrooms and cook until the also start to brown.
  4. Add the tomato sauce, cooked ground beef, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a simmer.
  5. Carefully add the eggs one at a time, being careful not break the yolks. Let the eggs cook in the sauce until the whites are set and the yolks are warm.
  6. Sprinkle on the bacon and garnish with the jalapenos and tortilla chips. Serve immediately.

Lamb Bacon French Fries topped with Quail Eggs and Chopped Parsley

img_5187I must admit, I was a bit perplexed when I was given “lamb bacon” and “quail eggs”.  No, not because I didn’t know what to do with BACON, but because I had just too many ideas running through my head!  Do I go with a breakfast dish?  Snack?  Maybe even a dessert?  Hey, bacon and chocolate is a thing! :)

I’m not sure why, but my first instinct was to do French fries – fried in lamb bacon drippings.  Bit of an odd thing for a pescetarian to be daydreaming about, but hey, I was up for the challenge!  And I wanted the ingredients to shine, to use them in a pure state, not mask them with a ton of ingredients.

Here are some tidbits on this…

  • Don’t hesitate to experiment with the seasonings on the fries!  If you don’t like spicy, omit the chili lime seasoning!  Try a BBQ rub on the fries instead!  Or, just with the basics on this – you can’t go wrong!
  • The lamb bacon definitely had a smoky quality (though I have no idea what bacon of any kind tastes like), but if it’s not your thing, omit it!  You can top it with some seared skirt steak, or fried salami instead!  Or…even without the meat (dare I say that)?

Okay people, let’s DO THIS!

Don’t forget to check out Daniel’s lamb bacon and quail egg dish and let us know which you like better in the comments: Lamb Bacon Chili Shakshuka With Quail Eggs

5 from 1 vote
Lamb Bacon French Fries
Lamb Bacon French Fries topped with Quail Eggs and Chopped Parsley
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
 

A fun take on French fries, with some unexpected ingredients.

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Fries
Servings: 2 people
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
  • 3-4 Yukon Gold Potatoes
  • 1/4 cup Chopped Lamb Bacon
  • 4 Fresh quail eggs
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp Chili Lime Seasoning
  • Drizzle Extra Virgin olive oil
  • Handful Freshly Chopped Parsley Optional
Instructions
  1. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and pre-heat in oven at 450F
  2. Slice the potatoes into French fry shape, or spears (any shape you want, really) 🙂
  3. Soak potatoes in cold water for 10 minutes. Drain well
  4. Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes and sprinkle the salt, pepper, chili lime seasoning and garlic powder. Mix well.
  5. Bake for 25 minutes until just turning golden brown
  6. Fry bacon in a hot skillet. Add the hot potatoes to the pan, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. You may need to do this in batches. Fry for a minute or two, just to crisp up the potatoes in the bacon drippings.
  7. Remove the bacon from the pan. Crack the eggs into the bacon grease and fry for 2 minutes, or until the whites are cooked through.
  8. Pile the fries on a large platter, top with the chopped (drained, preferably on a paper towel) lamb bacon, add the eggs (you can cut through the yolk to get some of the runny yolk, but keep in mind the yolks are small so you won't get as much runniness compared to a larger egg), and add the chopped parsley.
  9. Serve hot and devour!