Shakshuka

I have been eating things other than cake.  Actually, I'm kind of getting sick of cake.  It's rarely my first choice for dessert to start with.

Shakshuka is simply an Israeli vegetable stew topped with a poached egg.  I sort of did this with the quinoa paella.

My version is slightly different than the traditional because of the pepper issue.  If you're sensitive to the whole nightshade family, just skip this.  Or sub in something you can have, use pesto for the sauce, and make it your own!

One thing I did here, because I knew there would be leftovers, is make the stew in a large skillet first. Then I put some in a 6" and cracked a single egg on it.  Repeat each day until the stew is gone.  If you're making this for the family, go ahead and crack all the eggs to serve immediately.

1 14oz can diced tomatoes
*1/2 C diced onion
2 Tb olive oil
*2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium eggplant, diced
*1 C celery, diced
*1 8oz can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
*4 C fresh spinach
1 14 oz can black beans, rinsed
6 eggs
cilantro for garnish

1.  Sauté onion and celery in the oil in a deep 10" skillet with a lid.  When soft, add garlic and spices and cook until fragrant.

2.  Stir in tomatoes and their juice, tomato sauce, and diced eggplant.  Cover and simmer until eggplant is soft, about 30 minutes.

3.  Stir in beans and spinach and cook until the greens are wilted, about 3 minutes.

4.  Make six wells with the back of a spoon or ladle in the stew.  Crack an egg into each one.  Cover and cook until whites are done but the yolks haven't set, about 2-3 minutes.

5.  Sprinkle the top with fresh cilantro leaves.  Serve from skillet, with one egg per serving.  Goes well with pita on the side.

Serves 6

Difficulty rating  :)