Lamb Shakshuka > not lamb shakshuka. Am I right or am I right??
Shalom and hola from my new apartment! No, I haven’t quite announced where I moved to yet, but I will soon in a blog post all its own. Patience my Jewnicorns!
It was a little sad to leave a city I love (San Francisco), with two amazing roommates, and I was just starting to get to know the blogger scene there. But, I’m in a new city I love, living with one amazing boyfriend, and I’m excited for the change and challenge! Bring it.
One thing I’m especially excited for is cooking in our fancy new kitchen! Obviously I love to cook, and so does my boyfriend (he wooed me with a homemade Italian dinner and a funfetti cake on an early date. Keeper.) We literally have no furniture, but all my pots and pans and blog props I shipped are already starting to arrive! Feels like home.
One of the last things I made in my San Francisco apartment was this delicious twist on shakshuka from my friend Samantha of Little Ferraro Kitchen’s debut cookbook The Weeknight Mediterranean Kitchen!!
This cookbook is all about flavorful, bright, delicious, healthful Mediterranean recipes that are simple enough to cook every day. One-Pot Paprika Chicken with Olives and Orzo is on my short list to cook. As is Grilled Za’atar Spiced Flatbread with Squash Blossoms and Tahini Toasts Three Ways! You’ll love this cookbook.
Samantha was one of the first blog friends I ever made! I’m not even sure how we first connected, but we first met IRL at a blogger conference five or six years ago. Later I visited her in her former home in Southern California (she now lives in Washington), and she visited me when I lived in Austin! Samantha and her husband are some of nicest people ever, and I’m glad we have gone from blog friends to real life ones!
Anyhoo, this shakshuka has a wonderful base to do what you like with, with chiles and spices galore. The addition of lamb just takes it over the top. I topped my with some crispy chickpeas for a crunch!
Lamb Shakshuka
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ½ pound 225g ground lamb
- 1 shallot chopped
- 1 red bell pepper seeds removed and chopped into ¼ inch pieces
- 2 garlic cloves chopped finely
- 1 fresno or serrano pepper chopped and seeds removed (optional for less heat). I used Hatch!
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp sumac + more for garnish
- ½ tsp Aleppo pepper + more for garnish
- 14.5 ounces 411 g aka 1 can of whole plum tomatoes
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 whole eggs
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium 10 inch (25.4 cm) skillet or cast iron pan, bring to medium high heat
- and drizzle olive oil and add the ground lamb. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to
- help break up the ground lamb and cook until thoroughly cooked through. If too
- much fat develops, carefully pour some out.
- Next add the chopped onion and bell pepper and continue cooking until they
- begin to softened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and fresno and cook for another minute so the garlic can soften
- and lightly caramelized.
- Stir in the tomato paste and spices and add in the whole tomatoes, with their
- juices. Use your hands (and carefully to not splatter tomato juice everywhere),
- roughly break up the tomatoes as you add them into the pan.
- Stir everything together, making sure all the spices, lamb and tomatoes are
- blended well.
- Use the back of a spoon and make 4 wells into the sauce. Crack 1 egg directly
- into each well, leaving the yolk exposed and bring temperature down to a
- constant low simmer. Cook eggs for 5-7 minutes or until desired doneness. You
- may want to cover the pan with a lid to help cook the tops of the eggs more
- evenly.
- Once ready, turn off heat and garnish with freshly chopped parsley and an extra
- sprinkling of sumac and Aleppo. Serve immediately with lots of crusty bread.
[…] Eggs are my go-to in every form. Poached, soft scrambled, over easy. (I haven’t made shakshuka in […]