Shakshuka

I just got my hands on some farm fresh eggs and wanted to make a yummy brunch with them. The first and only time I had shakshuka was last year at Sonny's Place. Having eaten it some time ago, I find it odd that it was the first thing that came to mind when I wanted something different for brunch today. But I am glad it did because it was just what I needed to satisfy my craving.

Essential Ingredients

• onion
• garlic
• zucchini
• canned tomatoes
• tomato sauce
• eggs
• salt
• pepper
• cumin
• cayenne (optional)

The dish is rather simple. It's eggs cooked in a tomato sauce. I started by sauteing diced onion and finely minced garlic in olive oil.. I then added some zucchini until they were just about fully cooked. Next came canned whole peeled plum tomatoes (I think mine were "Italian style" which just means it had Italian herbs in it) and regular tomato sauce. I seasoned it with salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne pepper (for a little kick). I let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes breaking up the tomatoes with my spoon. I gently cracked my eggs into the sauce letting them cook until the egg whites were no longer clear. I like my egg whites more cooked than not so I put the pan under the broiler for just a couple of minutes. Be careful when doing so because you don't to overcook your yolk. the beauty of this dish is the combination of the creaminess of the yolk with the sauce. Once your eggs are cooked to your liking it is ready to eat!

You can eat it with any bread of your choice but pita bread is suggested. I had none so I used some naan I had in my pantry. Im sure this would be good over rice as well but I prefer the bread because I like to sop up the yolk and sauce with it.

I wanted to add mushrooms and green bell pepper but I didn't have any so I worked with what I had. This is a really quick and easy dish to make when you want to break away from more traditional brunch meals.