Shakshuka...or...Eggs in a Hellbasket

Eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce

I think that many people fear poached eggs. Many more fear egg poaching. I suspect that those who fear poached eggs are put off because they have been served gelatinous blobs of watery egg white with yolks in the middle...the nice runny yolk being the only truly edible part. I can feel your pain. I'm not a fan of eggs that make me want to reach for a straw.

On the other hand, a well-poached egg is a fine thing. I think that poached eggs are the eggiest kind. There is a purity and simplicity to a nicely poached egg that cannot be approached by other methods. Even soft boiled is less pure. It requires all that cracking and digging out of the shell. Poaching is purity.

Shakshuka is a good way to gain confidence and to confront your egg poaching...and poached egg eating...demons. It's an Israeli dish of eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce. However, the Israelis do not have a monopoly on the eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce market. I know about something called "Eggs in Hell"...or Eggs in a Hellbasket, if you're reluctant to use the word hell...a Tex-Mex dish that's a lot like shakshuka. In fact, the only difference is in the spices, and that difference is not huge.

When poaching eggs in something fairly thick, like tomato sauce, the whites of the eggs don't drift off in strings, wisps and veils through the poaching liquid. The egg is contained reasonably well by the viscosity of the sauce. Also, since you'll be eating the eggs under cover of the sauce, less harm is done if you poke at the whites to see if they're cooked to the suitably non-mucoid stage.

Even if you fear poached eggs, it's worth making Shakshuka or Eggs in Hell. Even if it's only for the fun of announcing what's on the menu for friends and family. Both sound risky, if not downright dangerous. The recipe shown below strikes me as dangerous, actually. It requires a lot of chilis. When we made it the first time, I added a medium pinch of dried chili flakes in place of all of those Anaheims or jalapenos. Even then it was too much for Jacqueline's delicate palate, so the next time we made it without any chili and I added Tabasco at the table. Beware of the chilies and adjust to suit your tastes.

The Eggs in Hell variation would involve substituting some oregano for the paprika, cilanto for parsley, and jack, cotija or queso blanco for the feta. The pitas would be replaced with warmed tortillas. Either way you do the spices, it's very tasty...really, it is.

We got this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. As you can see, she got it from Saveur magazine. Thank you Saveur magazine and thank you Deb at Smitten Kitchen.

Shakshuka [Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce]
Adapted from Saveur

Serves 4 to 6

1/4 cup olive oil
5 Anaheim chilis or 3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
Kosher salt, to taste
6 eggs
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Warm pitas, for serving

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add chilis and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands. Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt.

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 shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with pitas, for dipping.