shakshuka with kale & cottage cheese
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. 1 cup kale chopped
  2. 2 tablespoon olive oil
  3. 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  4. 1 large pepper thinly sliced
  5. 2 fresh slit green chilli
  6. 2 to 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or mashed
  7. 1/2 tablespoons red chilli powder or paprika
  8. mixed herbs and chilli flakes( optional)
  9. 4 fresh basil leaves (optional)
  10. 5 large tomatoes, blanched and chopped finely
  11. salt to taste and freshly ground black pepper
  12. large tbsp minced cilantro or parsley
  13. 4 eggs
  14. 2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese or cottage cheese
  15. tortilla, crusty bread, pita baguette or flatbread for serving
  16. firstly, heat olive oil in a skillet or pan over high heat until simmering. add onion, sauté and add the garlic. cook till pink and add the pepper. stir and sauté until vegetables are slightly brown.
  17. immediately add tomatoes, green chillies, red chilli powder or paprika, chilli flakes, mixed herbs, fresh basil and stir to combine. reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes, then season with salt.
  18. next, add whole blanched and peeled tomatoes. you can add canned tomato puree but fresh is any day better. i peeled them after blanching and chopped them finely. i like these whole peeled tomatoes as they allow you to adjust the texture to suit your needs. this makes the cooking part easier and has a brighter colour and flavour.
  19. next, add the chopped kale and cook till done.
  20. now that you’ve got yourself a wonderful sauce that can be made well in advance, or even frozen for later, you can complete it into a meal, with a few eggs. i broke the eggs first into a bowl and then poured them into the sauce as i was not sure if my yolks would be intact. i live in a tropical country and the heat makes the yolks runny. just make four indentations in the sauce with a spoon or spatula, then break eggs directly into them or break into a bowl and then gently slide them into the pan.
  21. cover the pan, and let it simmer and steam just until the whites are barely set and the yolks are still golden and soft. season eggs with a little salt and freshly ground pepper, cover and cook until egg whites are barely set and yolks are still runny i.e. 8 to 10 minutes. i wondered if i could remove the egg intact onto a serving bowl but to my surprise, the egg was set nicely and it was easy to remove one serving or egg at a time with a flat spatula. you can finish cooking the eggs on the stovetop or place them in an oven for 10 minutes, it’s your choice.
  22. sprinkle the cilantro or parsley, along with cottage cheese or feta.
  23. serve shakshuka with kale & cottage cheese with hot tortilla, crusty bread, baguette, pita or flatbread or roti for sopping up all the flavorful sauce.
Recipe Notes
  1. you can make shakshuka without kale
  2. you can add any veggies of your choice.
  3. Bake in an oven or open flame.