Nippon Cornhusker: Sunday Brunch: Quick Pantry Shakshuka, Quick Flatbread

Quick Pantry Shakshuka and Quick Flatbread

I had my usual breakfast dilemma today. I was hungry for breakfast/brunch today but really had no desire to leave the house and as much as I love to cook; I hate to make a traditional American Breakfast (of eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast) or a Full English otherwise known as a British Fry-Up (of sausage, bacon, beans, tomatoes, eggs and toast) at home because of the mess and smell.

Also, since New Jersey is fill with great diners - several of them close to home - I rarely ever make either at home since I can enjoy them out faster and cheaper than I could ever manage on my own.

I decided that a large skillet of shakshuka with some hot flatbread would be perfect and so I headed to the kitchen to see about whipping some up.

Shakshuka is often thought of as a Jewish or Israeli dish and it was likely introduced to Israel by Tunisian Jews and Maghrebi Jews, hundreds of thousands of whom immigrated to Israel during the 1950s; the dish and the word is of Arabic origin - specifically Tunisian Arabic.

Shakshouka means "a mixture" in Tunisian Arabic or other Maghrebi Arabic dialects, and is basically a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, chili peppers, and onions, often spiced with cumin.

Here is my version of the dish.

I always have flour and yeast and a great quick flatbread recipe so that was good to go; I also always have onions, garlic and usually petite bell peppers on hand so I just needed some canned tomatoes and spices to get my shakshuka together.

I didn't have canned tomatoes (rare) but I did have several jars of Wellsley Farms Organic Marinara Sauce on the shelf. No idea where they came from but as Wellsley Farms is a BJ's Wholesale Market brand - I think I know who bought them and this morning I was very grateful that it was on the shelf.

Here is my version of the dish:

QUICK PANTRY SHAKSHUKA

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chooped
A handful of petite baby bell peppers chopped, about 6
5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon hot paprika - I used the Spanish
1 teaspoon cumin ground cumin
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 22 ounce jar of chunky marinara sauce - I used Wellsley Farms Organic Marinara
1 tablespoon of honey
3 table spoons of red wine vinegar
6 eggs

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

SHAKSHUKA PREPARATION:

1. In a wide cast-iron or oven-safe skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions, garlic and peppers and cook over medium low heat until the peppers a re tender and the onions are soft and translucent.

Add the black pepper, parika, cumin and tumeric and stir into the onion mixture. Cook for a minute, stirring constantly, to release their fragrance.

2. Add the jar of marinara sauce, a bit of water, the honey, and vinegar, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened somewhat but is still loose enough so that when you shake the pan it moves around the pan slowly.

Jarred Marinara is a great shortcut for shakshuka - just use a good quality, chunky sauce.

The sauce simmering away, waiting for the eggs and the oven.

3. With the back of a spoon, make 6 indentations in the sauce. Crack an egg into each indentation.

4. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the egg whites are just opaque.

The whites of the eggs are just barely opaque, they will cook slightly more in the sauce.

Yummy!! Hot, spicy and delicious shakshuka.

Serve the shakshuka hot from the pan on the table with hot griddled flatbread.

QUICK FLATBREAD

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups all purpose or bread flour
1 package of fast-rise yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons of sugar
1 cup warm water (110 F - 115 F)
4 teaspoons olive oil

FLATBREAD PREPARATION:

1. Place flour, yeast, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl.

2. Add water and oil and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough gathers into a ball. If too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to make dough come together.

3. Place dough (it will be sticky) in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and Let rest for 10-15 minutes.

Dough right after mixing.

Dough after resting covered for 10-15 minutes.

4. After 10-15 minutes, preheat a skillet to med-high. I used my non-stick crepe pan but any skillet will do - do not oil the skillet, it needs to be hot and dry.

5. Divide dough into eight and shape each piece into a ball.

6. Roll each ball into a 6-inch circle.

7. Cook on ungreased hot pan about 1 minute per side.

8. The bread will brown lightly on the first side then when flipped will puff slightly.