Shakshuka

Long time no see! 

I've been busy graduating, but that's finally more or less done! 

So, now I've got time again for cooking and trying out new recipes! 

Because I'm a recent graduate the recipes can't be that expensive either. I think that at least for the home cook, you're good if you can turn cheap ingredients to something amazing. 

I had just taken a refreshing bike ride on my Dutch-style bike (no sports bike here :P) and wanted something savory and hearty. I've wanted to try the Israeli egg and tomato dish Shakshuka for a while now and here it is. I got inspired from this: Yotam Ottolenghi's Shakshuka

The original recipe calls for 1 onion, I didn't have one, so I just skipped that step.

Shakshuka, 2 persons or 1 very hungry

1 green, or whatever you have, bell pepper, diced

4-5 small tomatoes, chopped

dried coriander,  dried parsley, safron (optional), (spicy) paprika, salt, black pepper 

some water

3 small eggs

Put a pan (that you have a lid to) on a high heat, add some olive oil. Fry the bell pepper for a while, add some coriander and parsley (about a teaspoon each). Fry for a little bit more until the bell pepper "turns golden", i.e. gets some spots on the skin. 

Add the tomatoes. Add safron (this is totally optional, I had some safron lying around from before, so I tried to add it, but I'm not sure if it actually adds something and aslo, I'm not sure if I actually like safron in savoury dishes). Add paprika, some salt and black pepper. If the mixture looks a bit dry, add a little water. 

Cook on high heat until the tomatoes have dissolved and the mixture is getting a bit dryer. 

Taste, maybe add more salt or sugar, depending on taste. Make some pockets for the eggs and break the eggs into the pan. Turn the heat off and put the lid on the pan and cook until the eggs are done. 

This step is a bit challenging on an electric stove. I overcooked my eggs, they weren't as fluid as Yotam's, but still delicious. I think the key for an electric stove is probably to start reducing the heat earlier and when it's on a low heat add the eggs and turn the stove on. 

Sprinkle with some coriander and serve with bread. I had some garlic sauce (home made) from yesterday. We watched the game between Holland-Spain and had a really nice dinner with a neighbour. We ate Shoarma and garlic sauce. I'll put up a recipe for that sauce soon. 

Enjoy!