So, what the hell is Shakshuka? Well, in short, it is deliciousness in a pan! Essentially, Shakshuka is a delicious dish made up of eggs that have been poached in an herb-filled tomato sauce (sometimes sausage or ground meat is added as well). The sauce is normally flavored with cumin, paprika, garlic, and other strong spices. It is clear that this dish is a delicious culmination of spices; the origin of Shakshuka, however, is a little cloudy.
Most say that the dish originated on the northern coast of Africa; however, similar recipes can be found across the world, like in the Middle East. For example, the dish, at first glance, looks very Italian. Unsurprisingly, there is an Italian version called Uvoa in Purgatorio, which literally translates into Eggs in Purgatory.
Wherever it is from really doesn’t matter because this dish is going to be one that you’ll want to have and share with your loved ones. You can learn how to cook shakshuka in this quick and easy Shakshuka recipe, and you can watch Chef Phil give some tips on cooking Shakshuka right here.
So, where is Shakshuka from?
Chef Phil has his own little theory about the Shakshuka origin story and how it made its way across the world. Chef Phil thinks it is very possible that some lost sailors ended up in an unknown port, had some Shakshuka and loved it so much that they brought it back to their port of origin. Roland Dickey Jr. also says that sausage is kind of a uniting factor in the world because sausages are commonly found in global dishes. And that’s why we like adding some amazing sausage to our Shakshuka.
There are a bunch of alternative ways to cook shakshuka, but we like adding a little spice to our Shakshuka recipe by using some delicious hot links. This dish can be enjoyed any time of the day, but you can also add some spicy breakfast sausage to your Shakshuka recipe to make this the best brunch dish of 2022, worth sharing around the table! Now with all the delicious spices and hot sausages, we get into the other name for this dish: Eggs in Hell.
Shakshuka, or Eggs in Hell, is a quick and spicy breakfast (or any meal, really). You basically have tomato sauce with plenty of spices and parmesan cheese that you poach eggs in. Pro-tip: when using sausage in your recipe (or any recipe), you want to brown your sausage first.
This adds some depth to your flavors as well as gives your pan some nice seasoning for when you add your additional ingredients like onions and peppers. Your eggs will gently cook between your sausages in the spicy marinara-like sauce. Nice and spicy, with a cheesy bite to these herby eggs (insert chef’s kiss)!
There is a trick to cooking shakshuka eggs. When you cook your eggs, you’ll notice that they start to sink toward the bottom of your pan. This is a good thing! Remember that the more sauce that surrounds your eggs, the better it are going to cook.
So, our last tip: invite some people over so you can have some company for this amazing brunch dish!
A Dish Best For Sharing
There are plenty of meals with smoked sausages, and this is definitely up there with the favorites. Why? Because this is a dish built for sharing with special ones. Ideally, make this dish when you have a nice group of people over that can share right out of the dish, family style. The more, the merrier with this sausage meal idea, because this is a great dish to feed multiple people with as little effort as possible.
You might be wondering at this point: what do you eat with Shakshuka? Well, this is where the sharing part gets even better. Your guests can spoon out their own portion of shakshuka and then dunk chunks of artisan bread right into the sauce. Honestly, you can dip your bread right into the pan if you like too!
Keep the sharing spirit alive and tag us in your Shakshuka recipe pictures! We’d love to see the kind of brunch parties that you host with this delicious dish, so please follow us on Facebook and Instagram so you can tag us!
Part of what we want to show you in our videos are dishes that you can make easily and that can be made inexpensively but still have high quality. We’re partial to the backyard cookout, but we want to bring you something for brunch or any get together that will have a show-stopping effect on your guests. To see more dishes like Phil’s Shakshuka, follow us on Pinterest, Tiktok, and YouTube!