Shakshuka

Shakshuka. Fun to say.  Although if you tell people you’re making it for them, you might be met with some blank stares. 

 

Shakshuka is a Middle Eastern dish of eggs baked in a tomato sauce. It’s very easy to execute, fairly hands off, and makes a delicious, and slightly unusual, brunch dish.  I used a Food and Wine recipe that adds an Italian spin to the dish.

 

Shakshuka with Swiss Chard, adapted from Food and Wine

Serves 2, but doubles easily to serve 4

 

2 cups prepared tomato sauce (I always have homemade sauce in the freezer)

1 bunch Swiss chard

1 package baby bella or white button mushrooms

1/3 cup diced pieces of fresh mozzarella

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp chopped kalamata olives

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

4 large eggs

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

 

Preheat oven to 350. 

 

Clean your mushrooms by rubbing them with a paper towel. Remove stems, and cut in quarters. 

 

Remove Swiss chard leaves from stalks, clean, and chop. Reserve stalks for another use, or mince to include in recipe (I left them out, I don’t love the stalks).

 

In a large, oven-safe skillet*, sauté mushrooms in olive oil until softened and browned, about 10 minutes. Add in Swiss chard and sauté till wilted.  Pour in your tomato sauce. 

 

Using a ladle, make four indentations in the piles of chard and sauce. Crack each of the four eggs into each indentation. 

 

Scatter mozzarella cubes and olives around eggs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and top with Parmesan. Bake for 15 minutes, until whites are set and yolks are runny. Just a heads up, baked eggs, always look really underdone, no matter how long  you bake them for.  

 

Let stand five minutes, then serve with toast. 

 

 

*If you don’ t have an oven safe skillet, you can always spray a baking dish or pie plate with nonstick spray, then pour  your sautéed vegetables and sauce into it and continue with the recipe as directed.  That’s what I did here.