This brunch egg recipe (works great for dinner too) is perfect cold weather comfort food and is really easy to make for a crowd.
There are many different names for (and versions of) eggs poached in tomato sauce. Shakshouka is a staple of Tunisian, Libyan, Algerian, Moroccan, and Egyptian cuisines, where it is traditionally served in a pot or pan (called a “tajine”), with bread to soak up the sauce. It is also popular in Israel, where it was first introduced by Tunisian Jews. In Italy, there is a similar dish called “Eggs in Purgatory” which likely came about after shakshouka. The Mexican version is known as “Huevos Rancheros” is probably the most well-known in the United States and is served with Tortillas. No matter where it originated, it is an incredibly delicious, easy to make and satisfying recipe.
This recipe is my version of the Israeli breakfast known as shakshouka, to which I have given a Portuguese twist.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic crushed and chopped
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- ½ cup cooked potato approx. 1 medium, ½” diced
- ½ cup crumbled linguiça or chorizo
- ½ cup sweet red pepper ½” diced
- 28 oz. can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes undrained
- ½ cup water
- 8 eggs
- Kosher salt to taste
- ½ cup crumbled / shredded Sao Jorge* Gouda or Cheddar
- 1 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
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Heat oil in a 12” skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, chorizo, peppers, and potatoes, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 5 more minutes.
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Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands or a potato masher.
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Add the crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with ½ cup water; reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
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Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce’s surface. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Serve with toasted, crusty bread for dipping.
Recipe Notes
*São Jorge is a Portuguese cheese from an island of the same name, located 900 miles from the west coast of Portugal and part of Azores archipelago. Made from raw cow’s milk, São Jorge is a robust, aged cheese ripened for between three and seven months before being sold in the market. Although the cheese is made by three dairies on the island, only one has received the special DOP status. The DOP cheese is matured for a minimum of 90 days but the wheels can be sold at different ages; three, four or seven months. - description from Cheese.com