Shakshouka, from the Hebrew word leshakshek meaning “to shake”, is a spiced, egg and tomato dish that is part of the popular Israeli Breakfast, that is served at nearly every hotel in Israel and also a few hotels across the world that cater to Israeli tourists. This takes the traditional method of preparation and turns it into a Pashtida (quiche in Hebrew) or frittata. And as an extra bonus this one is vegetarian, or at least as vegetarian as we will ever get here. The guys don’t usually like vegetarian, other than donuts, but this one seemed to popular.
Serves: 16 – 22 (2 quiches)
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 – 15 oz can of Roasted Tomatoes
- 2 Bell Peppers
- 1 Large Onion, finely chopped
- 6 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Paprika
- 1/4 cup Parsley or Cilantro, finely chopped
- 2 pie crusts
- 8 eggs
- 12 oz Ricotta Cheese
- 1/2 cup Mozzarella, shredded
- 1/2 cup Havarti Cheese, shredded
Preparation
Chop up the peppers, onion and garlic. In a large skillet or pot (cast iron skillet is best) over high heat, heat up the olive oil until it starts to shimmer. Then add the Onions and Garlic and cook until turning translucent and getting about to char, about 7 minutes. Add in Peppers and continue cooking until the peppers are starting show some char on them as well, another 5 minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium and add in the Roasted Tomatoes, drain them first to save cooking time. Also add in half of the Salt and Pepper and all of the Cumin. Simmer, stirring occasionally, uncovered for about 20 – 30 minutes or until the mixture is very dry. Remove from heat and allow to cool or refrigerate until ready for final assembly.
Final Assembly and Cooking
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Prepare the pie pans, coating the bottom with a little olive oil then placing the crust dough into the pans. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the Eggs and Ricotta Cheese and the remainder of the Salt and Pepper and about 3/4 of the Paprika,until frothy, about 5 minutes. Move the vegetables prepared before into the pie pans and spread about evenly. Top this with an even layer of the Havarti Cheese. Then Pour the egg mixture evenly over the vegetables in the pie pans and poke and agitate a little bit with a fork to make sure the eggs and the vegetables mix a little bit. Then top this with the Mozzarella Cheese and the Parsley, I prefer using Cilantro. Sprinkle the remaining Paprika on top as well. Place in pies the oven and cook for 30 – 40 minutes, or until the center is firm and the cheese is a little browned. Remove from the oven and serve or pack them up for the rink.