Spicy Shakshuka with Leeks
Spicy Shakshuka with Leeks is delicious comfort food made in 20 minutes. Perfect for a fast weeknight meal or to bring with you to a weekend brunch. Keep it vegan and swap the egg for coconut yogurt.
San Francisco is my home. I was born here. Moved to San Luis Obispo for university and then Italy. I found my way back to San Francisco after graduation. I love this city. It’s beautiful with an undeniable magic lingering in the air - one that I have not experienced in most cities. But for the last year and a half I was miserable. Couldn’t appreciate the city for what it was, what I had known it to be, and I could not see past the layers of memories I had made here. Some very good and some I wished away. I couldn’t see that as I would change, so would the city. Do you feel this too about your hometown?
I traveled much of the summer and came home with a deeply needed appreciation for San Francisco. I saw it in a new light – the way tourists see it when they come for the first time. Its charm never wore off on me. I came back sad to have pushed it away for so long. But without hesitation it welcomed me. As it always does, as a hometown always will. And as I contemplate my time in SF and wonder when I’ll move next, I stop myself. I let myself enjoy this quite morning in San Francisco, just as the tiniest sprinkles of rain tap against the windowsill. I look at my shakshuka and feel a bout of excitement. Excited for the day to get on and very much excited for this breakfast. It’s an easy one and doesn’t take much effort. So please just grab a can of tomatoes from your cupboard, slice up some onions and leek and crack an egg into it. Your breakfast is now done and you can go off and to enjoy the place where you live. And perhaps even write me a note about it…I’d love to hear what your hometown is like.
xx Marie
Serves: 3-4
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients for the Spicy Shakshuka with Leeks:
- 28oz can whole tomatoes
- 2 leek ( remove the top long green stem and cut the white part of the leek lengthwise and then into small rings)
- 1/2 small red onion
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 small fennel (white bulb, thinly slices into rings - discard green stem)
- 4 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1-2 teaspoons chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon ghee (I used this brand, 4th and Heart)
- 1 large handful of fresh parsley (roughly chopped)
- 4 eggs (swap for coconut yogurt if vegan)
- sea salt
Instructions:
In a medium/large saucepan, melt the ghee on medium heat, and add in the thinly sliced onions, leeks, and all the spices and tomato paste. Sauté for about 10 minutes until the onions are translucent and have softened. Before you add in the whole tomatoes, crush them in between your hands to break them up. Add them to the sautéed pan and turn up the heat till it starts to boil. Lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for another 15-20 minutes until the tomato sauce thickens. Then make 4 little wholes in the tomato sauce and crack the egg into each whole. Place a cover on top of the sauté pan and let the egg cook through. Top with parsley and perhaps a little goat cheese!
Your thoughts?
Have you tried Shakshuka before? It really is such a comforting dish that just gets you excited on a cold morning...which we've been having a lot of during the SF summer months. Excited to keep making this dish into the fall and winter months. And as always, feel free to swap any ingredient for what you have on hand - making it your own.
I also love seeing your take on any of the recipes from the blog so don't forget to tag me on Instagram - #8thandlake - so I can see your creations!
You can also find me on Snapchat with more photos and clips of my everyday life - username - marie8thandlake and on Pinterest - to see what my dream reality would look like ;)
Lots of love from the west coast,
xx Marie