A couple of weeks ago an old family friend of mine who happens to be Kosher had shoulder surgery, and in a misguided panic that she would not be able to feed herself, I rushed up to her apartment in LA to cook for her. When I got there, I was super frustrated with the restrictive minutia of the Kosher diet, but in the end all of the food was delicious and now I have a new dish in my repertoire!
In my partnership with Tabanero Hot Sauce, I decided to create a riff on the classic Israeli shakshuka, simply by adding some hot sauce to it and serving it over baked tortillas instead of pita or flat bread. I'm calling it shakshuka chilaquiles, which I know is nonsense, but I just like it, ok? The next day I put the leftovers into a pork and rice burrito (recipe is on its way!) like some kind of genius mad science god of culinary masterpieces, and afterward was forced into the most restful food coma of my life. That night I spread more leftovers onto crusty garlic-rubbed toast and felt like a king. The take away message is that this stuff is great with basically anything. The bell peppers perfume the dish throughout to the point that it is almost one-dimensional, but subtle hints of cumin and paprika bring a distinctly middle eastern punch to the dish, and the egg yolks make it very very rich and filling.
Butter Count: 2 Tbsp
INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small brown onion, diced
2 bell peppers, diced
2 Tbsp cumin
2 Tbsp chili powder
3 Tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
3/4 cup Tabanero Extra Spicy hot sauce
5-6 eggs
Cilantro and Cotija cheese for garnish
Serve over baked tortilla chips
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Melt the butter in a large-diameter pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and continue to heat until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
2. Add the bell pepper and cook an additional 5 minutes until the pepper is softened, but not cooked all the way through. Add the cumin, chili powder, paprika, and red pepper flakes and stir well. Cook about 1 minute until very fragrant. Add the diced tomatoes and hot sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook about 5 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened.
3. When the sauce is thick enough to create a well, use the back of a wooden spoon to create 5-6 wells in the sauce. Crack one egg into each well, cover, and simmer about 13 minutes.
Note: I use a clear lid so I can see if the egg whites start to become opaque over the yolks. When this starts to happen, I remove the lid and continue to cook until the egg whites are fully set, but the yolks are still runny.
4. Garnish with cilantro and cotija, if desired, portion into bowls, and serve over baked tortilla chips. The dish is traditionally served with pita, but I love me some chilaquiles, so deal with this!