Shakshuka

Ok, the name of this food alone is going to make it seem very intimidating. However, I want you to stop for just a moment and look at the actual food and recipe itself - it doesn't get easier...or tastier, I might add! And let me tell you: it's even better than it sounds!! I saw this on Smitten (of course) and knew instantly that I needed to make it. I love eggs, they're a comfort food to me - and tomatoes+eggs=a delicious thing. I thought the combination of ingredients was genius. This recipe was especially exciting to me because it was very budget-friendly as well! I will say - it surpassed my expectations. I found myself going back for more and more...and more the next day. I think it might be my new ultimate comfort food - Frosted Mini Wheats at 11:00pm just took a back seat. No really, I liked it that much.
I served it with Naan bread and thought it was brilliant. I made one recipe and it fed our family of 4 with just a few left-overs, so if you are cooking for 4 adults you may want to increase the amount you make.

I do have to admit that everything was going great until I dropped all the eggs in, as the recipe indicates and my pot looked like this:
A little unnerving to see that many eggs swimming in a pot of tomatoes, I have to admit. But I have faith in Smitten, so I proceeded. In just a few minutes my pot was perfection and I had a delicious meal waiting for me. Thank you, Smitten Kitchen, for bringing me food I didn't even know I loved.

For a hilarious review about why you should make Shakshuka - and for the recipe, click here. You can also scroll down for the recipe.

5 stars.

Shakshuka [Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce]

Adapted from Saveur

Serves 4 to 6

1/4 cup olive oil
5 Anaheim chiles or 3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped (I was nervous and only used 2 Anaheims; I would go for 3 or 4 next time for a more moderate but still gentle kick)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
Kosher salt, to taste
6 eggs
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Warm pitas or naan bread, for serving

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add chiles and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands. Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt.

Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce’s surface. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with pitas or naan bread, for dipping.