Shakshuka

Ingredients

• 1 kg tomatoes (fresh is best, but tinned will work well for the winter months)
• 1  pepper (a roasted one from making muhammara if you are making the whole feast, fresh otherwise)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 onion (I prefer red ones, but any will do)
• 1 celery branch (optional)
• 1tsp smoked paprika
• 1tsp cumin
• 1tsp coriander
• 3tbsp olive oil
• 100g feta cheese
• 4 eggs
• 3 balls of pizza dough (for the flatbreads)

Story

Last month I turned 29 with my baby girl by my side. It seems I am really an adult now… and what fun! Being an adult means I get to choose what I will have for dinner every day of the week (hello pizza with ice cream for dessert), I can buy stuff without asking for permission, and I can watch 12 episodes of Stranger Things without anyone telling me to go to bed. And, maybe, regret all of it the next day. Being an adult also means having kids in the vicinity, because, well, my friends have become adults too.

On those days, planning a meal everyone will like can become a challenge, which means I have become quite an expert at cooking mezze. Mezzes are a format rather than a recipe, a way of thinking about your meal, composed of different dishes where everyone can find something they like, and gets to fill their own plate, much like Spanish tapas. Because they originate from the Middle East, I tend to revolve around Mediterranean flavors, drizzling tahini everywhere, crumbling feta, and mopping it all up with flatbreads.

So here is part 1 of the Mediterranean Mezze Feast I cooked up last weekend for my friends and the three kids that ran around yelling “ON A FAIM ON A FAIM ON A FAIM” (for non-French speakers: they were hungry). There was a Shakshuka with glorious runny eggs, my favorite quick flatbread with muhammara (recipes coming up in part 2), some hummus, and a few salads. Everyone left the table happy, and every plate was licked clean.

Shakshuka Preparation

Eggs poached in a rich, spicy tomato-based stew, dotted with feta cheese and olive oil… I have not yet met someone to resist the mix! Switch up the spices (ras-el-hanout will be great, use some chili if you like a kick, some dried herbs such as oregano) and use up what you have: some sad-looking greens or the weird end of a zucchini can find their way to the pan. Start by chopping everything: the garlic finely, the onion and celery branch in thin slices, the red pepper (if using fresh) in rough slices, and the tomatoes in 4/6 pieces depending on the size of your tomatoes. When you have all the ingredients ready, start your fire. Place a cast-iron pan on top of the oven, pour the olive oil and the spices and leave to sizzle a bit. When they start to smell fragrant, add all of the vegetables mentioned above at once and sprinkle with salt.

By Lucie Moley