Shakhshukha
Shakhshukha
Region: Algeria
Category: Vegetables
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy but labor intensive

Shakhshukhas are a kind of ratatouille from North Africa made with vegetables as well as eggs. In fact, in Algeria and Tunisia especially, there are countless ways of making shakhshukha . Although many food writers consider shakhshukha to be a quintessential North African vegetable dish the word shakhshukha is not an Arabic word, but a Turkish one and the dish appears to derive from the nearly identical Turkish dish called menemen . It probably found its way from Turkey to the western Mediterranean either during the Ottoman era or perhaps as a natural occurrence of traveling merchants. There is one essential element to a shakhshukha : they are always made with many eggs.

Yield: Makes 6 servings
Preparation Time: 1:40 hours

2 green bell peppers (about 1 pound)     1 pound ripe plum tomatoes     1 fresh green chile      2 small eggplants (about 14 to 16 ounces), peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds     1 cup extra virgin olive oil     2 medium-size zucchini (about 8 to 9 ounces), peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds

10 large garlic cloves, finely chopped     1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves     4 large eggs, beaten     1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper       Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Prepare a hot charcoal fire or preheat a gas grillor preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Place the bell peppers and tomatoes on the grilling grate or on a baking tray and grill or bake until the skin blisters black all over the peppers and the skins are coming off the tomatoes, about 40 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, peel the peppers and tomatoes and remove the seeds. Cut the peppers into strips and the tomatoes into rounds.

3. Lay the eggplant pieces on some paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Leave them to drain of their bitter juices for 30 minutes then pat dry with paper towels. Cut all the eggplant slices in half.

4. In a large casserole, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, then add the eggplant rounds and cook until light golden, about 4 minutes, turning only once. Remove the eggplant rounds with a slotted ladle and let the oil cool significantly, about 20 minutes with the heat turned off.

5. Turn the heat to low, then add the zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and parsley, season with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until most of the liquid is evaporated, about 30 minutes. Add the eggplants to the casserole.

6. Season the eggs with a little salt and pepper and a few tablespoons of the broth from the casserole. Raise the heat to high for a minute, then stir the eggs into the casserole and cook until they set, about 6 minutes, folding, not stirring as they do. Serve hot.

Posted: 01/09/2007

Related Recipes:

Menemen (Green Chiles and Tomatoes with Eggs)

Spicy Eggs and Sweet Peppers