One-pan Shakshouka (Poached Eggs in Meaty-tomato Sauce)

Recipe by Cara Davenport, Education Manager

Ingredients:

1 lb ground lamb or lamb stew meat

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce + 1 tablespoon sauce

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 can (~2 cups) diced fire-roasted tomatoes

1 can (~2 cups) tomato sauce/ purée

1-2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 cup (3oz) crumbled feta

4-6 large eggs

Salt and pepper for seasoning

A popular Middle Eastern dish with many variations, shakshouka is often breakfast fare. However, this versatile recipe can be an equally easy and cozy dinner for these dark winter months. Spotlighted in this recipe are three ingredients that we produce right here at Merck Forest: eggs (our flock of chickens are laying away, surprisingly undaunted by the limited daylight), lamb meat, and maple syrup! If you can manage a weekend stop into the Visitor Center (or any other place near you that sells local farm products) you would be well on your way to making this meal.

You can exercise your kitchen creativity and experiment with substitutions or additions (more vegetables in the sauce, different meat, vegetarian or vegan versions, different spices, more spiciness or sweetness, etc.), but the basic concept is eggs poached in some kind of tomato sauce, so that the eggs take on the flavors of whatever they are immersed in as they cook.

Directions:

1. In a large oven-proof skillet or pan on medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add caraway seeds, nutmeg, cumin, paprika, then the diced onion. Cook until onion is softened and fragrant.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Increasing to medium-high heat, add ground lamb or stew meat to the pan and cook until browned, stirring so that the meat is mixed with the vegetables and spices. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. (If you prefer the dish to have a milder lamb flavor, cook the lamb in a separate pan and drain off the fat, then add the drained meat to the pan with vegetables and spices.)

4. In a blender or small food processor, blend the chipotle pepper and adobo sauce with about 1/2 of the tomato sauce. Add this and the rest of the canned tomatoes and sauce, plus the maple syrup to the pan with the meat and mix, bringing the sauce to a simmer (3-4 minutes).

5. Turn down the heat and add the feta, sprinkling evenly over the sauce and lightly mixing in. Create “wells” or little depressions in your sauce for each of your eggs to rest in.

6. Crack an egg into each “well” that you have made in the pan.

7. Transfer the pan into your pre-heated oven and let cook for 8-10 minutes, until eggs are set.

8. Garnish with cilantro and Greek yogurt, if desired, and serve.