Eggplant Shakshuka

Adapted from Ksenia Prints

1 large onion
1 medium eggplant
4 Tbs oil
4 large tomatoes or a can of canned tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of salt or more, to taste
1 Tb paprika
½ Tb cumin
1 teaspoon chili flakes or ½ of a fresh jalapeño, depending on your spice tolerance level
½ teaspoon sugar
Juice of ½ a lemon
a handful of parsley to taste
4 eggs

Chop onion finely. Dice eggplant and tomatoes into ½ inch cubes. Place eggplant in a colander, and salt it to draw liquids out. Mince garlic finely. If using a fresh jalapeño pepper, chop pepper finely.

Heat a large pan to medium heat. When pan is hot, add one Tb of vegetable oil, and onion. Sauté onion on medium heat for 5 minutes, then lower heat to medium-low and cook for another 5.

When onions have turned golden, add 2 Tbs of oil and eggplant cubes - but do not crowd them! It's better that you use less eggplant than crowding it, because it won't result in an even browning. Let eggplant brown for a few minutes, then when the eggplant has soaked up all the oil, add another Tb of oil, and toss eggplant to coat. Continue browning eggplant for 10 minutes, turning pieces occasionally to ensure equal coverage, until all have colored evenly.

Add tomatoes to pan. Let tomatoes draw water on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they all break down into a chunky sauce (this can take anywhere between 15 and 25 minutes). Add chopped garlic cloves and spices.

Traditionally, eggs are simply poured into the shakshuka sauce, one egg per hole; but some people prefer the eggs scrambled separately, and then mixed with a bit of sauce in their little nests. You can also go half and half and do some scrambled and some whole. To do the scrambled way, crack eggs into a bowl.

With a wooden spoon, create holes in the sauce for the eggs. Pour eggs into holes, one egg per nest (or a bit of egg scramble per nest, if going the scrambled route). On medium heat, cover pan (this is important!), and let eggs cook between 8 to 10 minutes, testing for doneness after eight (you want the whites of the eggs to set and change from translucent, while the yolk should still be a little jiggly). Squeeze the juice of half a lemon on the shakshuka.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve immediately with a little bit of yogurt and crusty bread, to taste. Don't forget to sop up the sauce when you're done.