Tchouktchouka (shakshuka)

Tchouktchouka or shakshuka is a traditional North African dish. Every region has a slightly different pronunciation and every household its own version. Some recipes will include potatoes and/or cumin and paprika to create a main dish. But what they all have in common is that special smoky flavor of roasted peppers, which is the foundation of this dish. 

This dish reminds me of summer! The recipe I am giving here can be served as tapa, or cold as a first course with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, or hot as a main course to accompany BBQ meat. Top it with eggs and it will make a very good breakfast.

In this version, I used harissa, a Tunisian hot pepper paste used in North African cooking. It adds a little spice to the dish. If you can't find it, you can replace it with hot pepper flakes. I also used fresh basil, which is not traditional, but really my spin on this recipe.
The dish was topped with eggs to serve as a main meal for a light lunch.
I like using left over in pita bread as sandwiches.

Tchouktchouka is a simple dish but it requires some preparation: roasting the peppers. You can use jarred roasted peppers, but these are usually preserved in a brine which reduces the smoky flavor unless you find a less acidic brand.
Roasting your peppers is definitely the best way to get good results. The instructions are provided below.

By the way, you can use any color of peppers, but I like the red ones because they are sweeter.

Usually, during pepper season, when fresh peppers are not very expensive, I buy buckets of peppers and roast them on the BBQ. Then I freeze them in small quantities.

If I run out of frozen roasted peppers during winter, I buy a couple of fresh peppers and roast them in the oven under the grill.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sliced garlic
• 8 peppers roasted, peeled, seeded and diced
• 3 tomatoes peeled, seeded and diced
•  ½ teaspoon harissa (the quantity is up to you. You may omit it all together)
• Salt, pepper to taste
• 6 basil leaves
• 3 eggs

Note: you can replace harissa with hot pepper flakes

Directions

1. Saute the garlic in olive oil around 2 minutes at low heat in a skillet.
2. Add the harissa and the tomatoes.
3. Cook the tomatoes until they start melting around 10-15 minutes.
4.  Add the peppers with their juice, salt and pepper. Mix, cover and cook on low heat until all the juices are absorbed, around ½ hour.
5. Add the basil and simmer another 2-3 minutes.

Variations

• If you want a complete meal like me add the eggs when the Tchouktchouka is almost cooked and let simmer until the eggs set.
• If you serve it as a tapa, don’t forget to have bread and olives to go with it.
• If you like cumin, add ½ teaspoon of ground cumin in step 2.

Before adding the eggs

Roasting the peppers

• If using the BBQ : place the peppers directly on the grill
• If using the oven broil: place the peppers on a cookie sheet covered with foil. Place the sheet very close to the broil.

1. Turn as soon as the skin turns black and blisters. It should take between 5-7 minutes on each side, but check them out more frequently. 
2. Place in a container and cover (pot, bowl, anything) for minimum ½ hour or until the peppers are cool enough to handle. The key is to cover to allow for the peppers to sweat and the skin to start separating from the flesh. 
3. Peel the skin off the peppers using your fingers, it should come off easily. Remove the stem and seeds. Dice the peppers and set aside. 

Gratin de Pommes de Terre (Creamy Potatoes Gratin)

This is a classic French dish that can be served as a main meal or as an accompaniment to any type of roast. We had some this Saturday night as a main meal with a large salad on the side, a mix of lettuce and radish greens from the garden, and of course French bread.
Gratin refers to the golden crust on top of a dish. There are as many recipes for this dish as there are regions in France. The recipe I chose today uses béchamel sauce. It is creamy and cheesy and easy to make. You don’t even need to pre-cook the potatoes. Slice the potatoes as thinly as you can so the cooking time will be shorter.
The only difficulty to this recipe is the béchamel sauce. Few tips: heat the milk and incorporate a little at a time into the flour and butter. If you still end up with a lumpy sauce, use a hand blender to thin it.
Serve the gratin potatoes in its baking dish.

This recipe should serve 3 if you have it as a main course.

Ingredients
2 lb. yellow flesh potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
3 cups warm milk
3 tablespoons flour
¼ cup butter
Salt and pepper (optional: nutmeg to taste)
4 cups shredded cheese (Gruyere, Emmental or Jarlsberg)
2 eggs

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375F

Make a Béchamel sauce

1. Melt half the butter in a large saucepan.
2. Whisk the flour and cook few minutes on low to medium heat.
3. Remove from heat and gradually add the milk, continuously whisking until the mixture is smooth.
4. Return to heat and cook 3-4 minutes more, still stirring.
5. Add seasoning. Remove from heat, stir in 3 cups cheese and mix well.

Assembling the Gratin

1. Take an ovenproof gratin dish and grease it with a little bit of the butter.
2. Layer half the potatoes, slightly overlapping the slices, season with salt and pepper.
3. Pour half of the béchamel over the potatoes.
4. Add the remaining potatoes, season with salt and pepper.
5. Add the remaining butter in small pieces all over, and the remaining béchamel. 
6. Cover with foil and bake 50 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. 
7. Remove the foil. Beat the eggs with 2 tablespoons milk and remaining cheese (4th cup.) 
8. Pour the egg mixture evenly on top of the potatoes. 
9. Put back in the oven for another 30 minutes or until the top is crispy and golden brown.