Shakshouka

I’m really excited to have been invited to participate in a cookbook review and blog tour for my friend, Alice (Ally) Phillips of Ally’sKitchen.com. This is especially exciting since I’ve followed Ally on Facebook for quite some time. So as you can imagine, when I was invited to participate I was absolutely delighted for the opportunity to be a part of the kick-off celebration for her new cookbook Ally’s Kitchen: A Passport for Adventurous Palates pictured below.

 

 

Now, my husband and I do consider ourselves to be pretty adventurous eaters. We really like to try different cuisines whenever we have a chance to get away – even if only to a new local city. There are so many unique foods and flavors out there to experience.  You just never know what cuisine will strike a fancy with your palate until you give it a try! Anyway,  if you know me, you know I’ve read her book cover to cover already and taken the adventure with Ally around the globe. I already know that I will be making many more of the recipes in the book for many months, if not years, to come because I love trying dishes from around the world without ever leaving my own backyard! One of the best practices I found throughout the book is that Ally shows the home cook how to prepare the unique spice blends needed for each recipe rather than needing to purchase expensive pre-packaged blends. For someone like me, with a well stocked spice cabinet, this is absolutely a dream come true! Better still, if there’s a particular spice in the mix that I do not care for, I can omit that spice and tweak the recipe to make it my own. This certainly fits into my style and motto that any recipe is just a starting point and it’s all a matter of taste.

 

 

 

 

While thumbing through the cookbook, I saw Ally’s recipe for Shakshouka and exclaimed to my husband, “Here’s the one!” because I’d just come across a recipe for Shakshouka recently and had been wanting to give it a try and now I had a recipe to go with the photos I’d seen. It was like kismet for me. Shakshouka is believed to be Tunisian in origin but is wildly popular in Israel which is where Ally tasted it for the very first time during her travels but this dish is also gaining popularity in America.   Shakshouka is traditionally served family style to the table in a cast iron skillet or tagine and is generally accompanied by bread to mop up the sauce along with potatoes, rice, chorizo or sausages or anything else as the cook sees fit to complete the meal. If you prefer, however, server it up in individual ramekins but follow Ally’s advice “To make sure you get the ‘essence’ of the experience of eating shakshouka when you make it at home, don’t use utensils! Your bread is the ‘spoon’ and it’s the only way to tackle this dish authentically.”

 

 

 

As I mentioned, Shakshouka, like many recipes, has many versions based on how each family changes the recipe to fit their needs and that’s awesome because I also adapted Ally’s recipe ever so slightly to fit my own taste buds and lifestyle but one thing is for sure – no matter how you chose to prepare it, the flavors are amazing! It’s quite simple to prepare so if you have some eggs, tomatoes and a skillet, give this one a try! Paired with my homemade Pita Bread and some Roasted Jalapeno Hummus, this made for a perfect “breakfast for dinner” and is on the table in under 30 minutes.

 

Ally’s Kitchen: A Passport for Adventurous Palates can be purchased online at either Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

 

 

Shakshouka

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Author: Kitchen Dreaming

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cup green bell pepper, sliced
• 2 cups red onion, thinly sliced
• 3⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (15-oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp red chili flakes, more or less to taste
• 4 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.
2. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.
3. Add bell peppers, onion, and salt; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds.
5. Stir in crushed tomatoes and paprika.
6. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer 5 minutes.
7. Form 4 (2-inch) indentations in sauce, using the back of a spoon.
8. Crack eggs, 1 at a time, into a small custard cup, and gently slip egg into an indentation.
9. Cover and cook 6 minutes or until eggs are to your desired temperature.
10. Spoon egg mixture evenly into 4 bowls; sprinkle with chives.

3.3.3070

 

Adapted from Ally’s recipe for Shakshouka from Ally’s Kitchen: A Passport for Adventurous Palates.

 

 

Now, I am required to tell you that Ally and her publishers at Cedar Fort  did send me a copy of her book for the purpose of this review, but the opinions expressed here are my own. I was not paid or compensated for my thoughts or opinions on the book, which if you haven’t already guessed, I just love it to pieces. The links listed in this post are affiliate links which means, if you purchase Ally’s book, it helps support both Ally and my site, Kitchen Dreaming, through my affiliation with Amazon. I thank you for supporting the brands that help keep our site running.  All that being said, Ally’s Kitchen: A Passport for Adventurous Palates is honestly a cookbook I will keep in my personal collection, it is a book, that had I found it in the store would have purchased on my own because it’s a great collection of recipes that fits my personal eating style. I hope that you will check out her book and fall in love with it the way I have.

 

 

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