by Laura Frankel

What better way to celebrate Israel Independence Day, than with a typically Israeli dish? In this case, I’m referring to shakshouka, or braised eggs in a spicy tomato sauce. The name comes from the Hebrew verb “leshakshek,” which means to shake, because it’s a bit of a scramble. And while there are dozens of variations of this Sephardic staple, the yolks are usually left intact–not scrambled. Here’s a recipe I adapted from a book on slow-cooking. It works just as beautifully for Mother’s Day as it does for Yom Ha’Atzmaout. You can add more cheese to tame the spices. Or go for the burn and make it hot, hot, hot. Either way, you’ll appreciate Israeli cuisine in a whole new way.

For the sauce
Ingredients:

2 Spanish onions-peeled and diced
10 cloves of garlic-peeled and minced
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
2 roasted red peppers-peeled and chopped
2 28-ounce cans of whole peeled tomatoes (I like to pour the tomatoes with their juices into a large bowl and crush them with my hands, they don’t end up too mushy the way canned crushed tomatoes can be.)
3 15-ounce cans tomato puree
1 5-ounce can tomato paste
3 tablespoons crushed red chilies (You can vary the amount in the recipe-I like it really zippy.)
½ cup fresh flat leaf parsley-chopped
½ cup fresh basil-torn or chopped
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Directions:

1. Place a sauté pan over medium heat. Lightly coat the pan with olive oil. Sauté onions until they are lightly browned and softened. Add the garlic and continue sautéing until the garlic has softened (about 5 minutes)
2. Place all the ingredients except for the herbs in a large sauce pan and cook over low heat for 1 hour. Adjust seasoning. Add fresh herbs.

Yields 2 quarts

For the eggs
Ingredients:

Olive oil
2 cups tomato sauce
8 eggs (2 eggs per person)
4 tablespoons of fresh herbs-chopped (I use flat leaf parsley, thyme, basil, chives, rosemary.)
1 tablespoon Za’atar
2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Pour 2 cups of sauce into a large sauté pan. Crack eggs into a small bowl and then slide them into the pan being careful not to break the yolks.
2. Sprinkle the eggs with herbs, Za’atar and drizzle with olive oil.
3. Place in the oven preheated to 350 for 15 minutes until he egg whites are set but the yolks are still soft
4. Sprinkle with cheese.

4 servings