If you’re looking for a go-to dish for a breakfast, brunch or a weeknight dinner, Shakshuka might just be the dish for you. It’s easy and fun to make, delicious, and it’s even fun to say. Shak-SHUKAAAH! It’s like you’re summoning the Brunch Gods. The traditional preparation consists of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes and peppers with some onion and spices thrown in. A version of the dish exists in countries throughout North Africa (it is believed that the dish is of Tunisian origin), the Middle East, Israel, and the southern coast of Europe. Needless to say, it has a pretty strong comfort food pedigree.
Our version combines two brunch power players: Poached eggs and the Bloody Mary. That actually sounds like a pretty solid Roald Dahl title. Poached eggs always make us think of brunch, and the spicy tomato sauce brought to mind the infamous “morning after” cocktail. In a brilliant moment of inspiration, Kyle combined the two and Bloody Mary Shakshuka was birthed into the world. And let me tell you, the aroma of this sauce cooking will fill your house and make you want to invite people over just to take a whiff. It is heavenly.
Given that we like our Bloody Marys with a good amount of heat and spice (especially black pepper), it was a bit of a challenge to pare down the ingredient list. Being mise en place nerds, the more ingredients the better, but in the interest of accesibility, we wanted to go with as many pantry staples as we could.
For the base elements, the tomatoes were a given. It calls for a 28 oz. can of whole peeled Roma (or plum) tomatoes, and while you can cheat by using crushed tomatoes, you are depriving yourself of the culinary equivalent to bubble wrap. Crushing them is half of the fun. Just don’t go all “Hulk SMASH” on them, or your stovetop (and probably your shirt) will end up looking like a crime scene. Been there. We also maintained the onions, but in place of the peppers we opted for celery. It keeps with the “Bloody Mary” theme and adds a beautiful, textural crunch to the finished dish.
After that, the flavoring began. The addition of horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire, olive juice and Sriracha deepened the flavor profile and walked the line between a chunky tomato sauce and an actual Bloody Mary mix. Did we mention that it makes your house smell phenomenal? In all honesty, this would make a fantastic pasta sauce or a topping for grilled chicken or fish. Don’t be intimidated by the long ingredient list. You probably already have most of the ingredients on hand, and if you have to make substitutions, this recipe is very forgiving. Don’t have any olives? First of all, shame on you. Our condolences to your poor, naked martinis. Second of all, use pickle juice or pepperoncini juice. Either way, you’ll still get that beautiful briny element. I can’t use Worcestershire because it has anchovy in it, and I’m allergic, so I use Pickapeppa or A1 sauce. Be creative. Throw in some clam juice if that’s something you like in your Bloody Marys. We won’t mind. We use a full teaspoon of ground black pepper, but feel free to dial that back (or up) to suit your taste.
While the addition of vodka is optional—but seriously, why wouldn’t you?—it provides another flavoring opportunity. Plain old vodka works fine, and we use Tito’s because it’s certified gluten free, but if you have a nice cucumber or pepper flavored brand, you’ll be surprised how much of a difference even two tablespoons makes in this sauce. If you’re feeling industrious, you can even make your own infused vodka.
This dish is spicy, rich, ridiculously flavorful and comes together in about 20 minutes. You can save even more time by making the sauce ahead. It’ll keep just fine in the fridge for a few days. When you’re ready to impress your friends and family, just pour it into a pan, bring it up to temperature, add the eggs, cover and viola! In about 10 minutes, you have a spectacular breakfast or brunch that is sure to become a staple of those lazy Sunday mornings. Serve it with pita wedges, gluten free baguette slices, or some gluten free toast and watch it disappear…
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced, about ¾ cup
- 2 celery stalks, diced, about ¾ cup
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 28 ounce can whole plum tomatoes in juice
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh horseradish
- ¼ teaspoon sriracha sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons vodka (optional)
- 6 large eggs
- To garnish: reserved leaves from celery stalks and green olives, sliced in half lengthwise
- To serve: pita, toast, or sliced baguette.
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook for another minute or two.
- Add plum tomatoes and their juices, and stir, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pan with a spoon. Add worcestershire sauce, horseradish, sriracha, olive juice, lemon juice, sugar, and vodka. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomato mixture comes to a simmer, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the eggs, cover the pan, and cook until the eggs are set, abou 7 to 8 minutes.
- Garnish with reserved celery leaves and olives and serve with bread of choice.
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