Roasted Tomatillo And Poblano Shakshuka
Fresh, inventive Israeli food has never been more popular, thanks to chefs like London's Yotam Ottolenghi and more recently, Toronto-based Danielle Oron. Her new cookbook, Modern Israeli Cooking, is a collection of vibrant new spins on Mediterranean classics, plus recipes from her Israeli-Moroccan upbringing that you'll make over and over again. Try this take on shakshuka, a popular breakfast dish, updated using fresh Latin ingredients.
Remember that leftover challah from Friday night? Pull it out along with every other carb in the house. This is the ultimate family-style brunch dish. You'll find so many versions of this dish all over Israel and now, the United States. Every blogger is making it, and there's a reason for it: IT'S THE BEST BRUNCH DISH ON EARTH. If you break it down, shakshuka is a dish of eggs poached in (usually) a spiced tomato sauce. This version is made with a few changes to the classic-style shakshuka. The main difference is that I use tomatillos instead of tomatoes, which makes the whole thing green instead of red. I char them under the broiler with a poblano pepper to give more flavor depth in a matter of minutes. This will become a favorite of yours.
- 1 large poblano pepper
- 8 medium tomatillos
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 2 long hot peppers
- 4 eggs
- za'atar
- chopped cilantro
- Grilled pita
- Place a rack at the top third of the oven and turn the broiler on to high.
- Line a baking sheet with tinfoil. Place the poblano on the baking sheet and broil for 13-15 minutes, turning it to get a good char all around the pepper. Transfer the pepper to a cutting board. Place the tomatillos on the baking sheet and place them under the broiler for 7-8 minutes, turning to get a good char on both tops and bottoms of the tomatillos.
- Transfer the tomatillos and any accumulated juices into a blender. Remove the stem from the poblano and discard it. Transfer the poblano to the blender along with the garlic and cilantro. Blend on high until pureed.
- Heat the olive oil in the largest skillet or lidded sauté pan you own over medium-low heat. Add the tomatillo mixture into the pan. Stir in the salt and cumin and bring up to a simmer. Lay the long hot peppers in the sauce and turn the heat down to low. Cover the skillet and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Turn the heat up to medium. Create, as best you can, pockets inside the sauce and crack an egg into each one. If you can fit more than 4 eggs in your pan, please do, but do not crowd the eggs. There should be sauce between the eggs to help them simmer properly! Immediately cover the pan and cook, undisturbed, for -2½ minutes until the whites of the eggs have just set.
- Garnish with za’atar and chopped cilantro. Remove the pan from the heat and serve immediately with grilled pita.