We love everything about shakshuka and it is our favorite way to do eggs for just two or for a weekend brunch crowd. We've layered eggs nestled in this spicy, savory sauce over a bed of polenta and most recently over pizza dough in a cast iron skillet inspired by Ali Slagle's recipe posted on Food52. The dough gets super crusty and crispy delicious!
You could even do this in the great out doors in a cast iron dutch, oven over an open fire! This is a MUST TRY even if you just bake it without a cushion and serve it over crusty toast, just try it! Of course we've boosted up the flavour with a healthy squeeze of Taste#5 Bomba! XXX tomato paste.
SERVES 4-6
INGREDIENTS
1 recipe of pizza or focaccia dought or store bought pizza dough
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 large jalapeño, cored, seeded and chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped (more or less to your own taste)
1 bay leaf
4 tablespoons Taste#5 Bomba! XXX tomato paste or regular tomato paste
2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sweet paprika or 1 teaspoon Taste#5 Umami Rush
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons Taste#5 Umami Pepper or freshly ground black pepper
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
4-6 eggs
METHOD
Preheat oven to 525˚ F or as hot as it will go!
Heat oil in a skillet.
Saute onions over medium heat for 5 - 10 minutes.
Add bell peppers and jalapeños and cook for another 3 - 5 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes.
Slowly add the tomatoes. Stir in the bay leaf, sugar, salt, Umami Rush or paprika, Umami Pepper. Simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes.
Preheat the cast iron skillet in the oven for about 10 minutes.
Stretch out the dough, working it into a flattened round the size of the cast iron skillet. Remove skillet from oven. Spray with cooking spray.
Drop dough round into skillet and push around to evenly fill the skillet.
Brush the top of the dough with some olive oil or a light coat of cooking spray.
Return to the over for about 5 minutes.
Pull skillet back out and pour the tomato mixture over top of the dough.
Spread chopped spinach evenly over the sauce.
Using a ladle, make 4-6 indentions, little nests for the eggs.
Crack the eggs into the indentions. Season the eggs with a little salt and pepper.
Return to the oven for 10-12 minutes.
Bake until egg whites are set and yolks are done to your liking.
Remove from oven and serve!
Note: You can make the sauce a day before. So you have little to do but bake this off.
You can also substitute kale or swiss chard for the spinach.
Shakshuka Polenta Bake
Alternatively as mentioned in the head notes, make a batch of polenta and spread it in a skillet or baking dish in place of the pizza dough. Spread sauce over polenta, followed by the spinach and eggs. Bake at 425˚ F 10-15 minutes.
