Leah Kirchmann’s Shakshuka:
I was trying to think of an Easter recipe to share with fans this week, but I realised my memories of food during Easter over the last decade have been sparse due to always being at a bike race. I might have been lucky enough to find some chocolate eggs at breakfast to save for a post race treat. I’m not a chocolatier, yet, so I’ll propose another idea. I’d like to share my recipe for shakshuka, which can be served for breakfast or lunch. I started enjoying more Middle Eastern inspired meals after a pre-Worlds training camp in 2016 with Team Canada in Israel. Shakshuka quickly became my “go-to” lunch for several months afterwards, and it still remains one of my favourites. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 tsp cumin seeds (or ground cumin)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow or white onion, sliced
2 orange or red bell peppers, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp black pepper
½ tsp brown sugar
1 tsp thyme
½ Tbsp coriander, fresh or dried
1 tsp sweet paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 can, chopped tomatoes
2 large eggs
Salt
Fresh chopped parsley or coriander (cilantro) (optional)
Serve with toast or flatbread
Instructions:
- Toast cumin seeds for 1-2 minutes in a frying pan over medium heat. Add olive oil, onion and peppers and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, black pepper, sugar, thyme, coriander, paprika and cayenne and cook for 2 minutes. Add in the chopped tomatoes and simmer everything for 10-15 minutes. If the mixture becomes too dry, then add a bit of extra water.
- Create two wells in the mixture and crack in the eggs. Cover your pan with a lid and cook for around 5-10 minutes, until the egg whites are set, but yolks are still runny. It is also possible to bake in an oven for 5-10 minutes at 375F if using a heat proof pan.
- Sprinkle with salt and fresh chopped parsley or coriander to serve. It is especially good eaten with toast or flatbread.
