Israeli Shakshuka by Einat Admony
To mark the arrival of her first cookbook, "Balaboosta: Bold Mediterranean Recipes," New York restaurateur Einat Admony is running two cooking workshops in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 26, first at Surfas in Culver City, and the second at The Gourmandise School in Santa Monica. Recipes include Chicken Littles, Salmon Ceviche with Beet and Fennel, and Malabi, the creamy, milk-based pudding perfumed with rose water. Meantime, here's an exclusive recipe from the cookbook to try out.
"In Israel the word shakshuka is synonymous with breakfast. It's best with a slice or two of challah bread to sop up the juices. This is a version of my dad's recipe, except that he used to mix the eggs together, because my older sister refused to eat the egg whites. Here is the recipe I prefer," says Admony.
See her recipe for Fried Olives with Labne here.
Shakshuka
Serves 4 to 6
Excerpt from "Balaboosta" by Einat Admony (Artisan Books) 2013.
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 large jalapeño chile, cored, seeded, and chopped
7 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
1 bay leaf
21/2 tablespoons sugar
11/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
11/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground caraway
1/2 bunch Swiss chard, stemmed and chopped, or spinach
8 to 12 large eggs
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and sauté over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the bell peppers and jalapeño and cook just until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and sauté for another 2 minutes.
Slowly pour in the tomatoes. Stir in the bay leaf, sugar, salt, paprika, cumin, pepper, and caraway and let the mixture simmer for 20 minutes. Layer the Swiss chard leaves on top.
Crack the eggs into the tomato mixture. Cover and simmer for approximately 10 minutes or until the whites of the eggs are no longer translucent.