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.