Potato stuffed with peppers and egg (Shakshouka)

March 22, 2010  •  Category:

 

All I know about Tunisia I heard from my mother;  she  visited that country  and came back filled  with  enthusiasm for Tunisia; she showed us pictures of little houses painted  white  with light blue louvers. She brought back an ornate  bird cage, all white and blue; she told us that in Tunisia people spoke an Arabic that was very close to our Lebanese dialect and  were very friendly and warm. I was dying to visit too.


Shakshouka is the savory dish  for this challenge and is common in  both Algeria and Tunisia; it is a breakfast or luncheon dish consisting of frying a variety of peppers in olive oil and cooking eggs in that mixture; variations to that dish include adding potatoes, eggplant, and various spices such as cumin, harissa, and so on.

My revisited version of shakshouka: Cook the potato or yam in the microwave; stir-fry the peppers; carve the potato and remove most of the flesh; mash it lightly and season; drop an egg in the shell and cook in the microwave; serve.

INGREDIENTS: 4 servings

  • 4 potatoes or yams
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 pounds of a mixture of red, yellow, green bell peppers, sliced in strips
  • 1 large onion
  • 3 tomatoes chopped and seeded (I did not add tomatoes this time)
  • 1 tablespoon of paprika and 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
  • 3 cloves of garlic, mashed in a mortar with a pinch of salt
  • salt, pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup of chopped parsley
  • squeeze of lemon juice
  • olive oil as needed

METHOD:

  1. Heat some olive oil and fry the paprikas for 5 seconds till the oil is colored; add the onions and the peppers and fry for a few minutes until softened; add the tomatoes and garlic and fry a little while longer.
  2. Cook the potatoes in the microwave or oven; when done, cut in half,  scoop out the flesh, mash it a bit, season it a bit with some paprika, add some extra olive oil or butter, a squeeze of lemon juice (Lebanese-style) and a sprinkle of chopped parsley. Gather and fill up one half.
  3. Break the egg into the other potato half and bake in the microwave for one minute or longer depending on how cooked you like your egg to be.
  4. Serve with the peppers on the side or sandwiched between the potato and egg.

Comments

46 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Dinners & Dreams says:

    Quite a creative dish. I love Tunisia and its people as well and would love to visit one day. Tchouktchouka in Morocco is a tomato and bell pepper warm salad instead. Interesting how two countries so close can have the same name for 2 different dishes.

    Nisrine

  2. Preety says:

    wow those really look good, makes me hungry

  3. The Little Teochew says:

    Baking the egg in a potato half is brilliant! What a great dish!

  4. The Nervous Cook says:

    This really does look exquisite (egg-squisite?). Is there anything that can’t be made better with a cooked egg, I wonder?

  5. Aparna says:

    The egg in the potato looks inviting! quite a different method of cooking the egg, i must say. the final dish looks delicious.

  6. noobcook says:

    This is absolutely brilliant using potato as the shell and the runny baked egg. It’s a beautiful meal =)

  7. Arlette says:

    Beautiful presentation my freind….Gorgeous photos….
    I guess you are early this time.
    Tomorrow I am doing the Dessert.

    I forgot to wish you Happy Mother’s Day. God Bless You.

  8. Sushma Mallya says:

    Colourful & mouthwatering dish…a complete meal..

  9. Arlette says:

    P.S. There is a Phoenician Blood in Tunisia..
    Elissar Princess of Tyre Built Cartaga using the skin of a cow, she asked her servants to cut them very thin strips and attached them together.
    she took it to the king of that area , opened the piece of skin and spread it on the ground and said this is the land I want to buy and build my place. and it was called Cartaga.

  10. geetika says:

    This looks fantastic! I can’t wait to try it myself – it’s got all, large gooey egg yolk and carbs and spices 🙂

    Love the new layout of the site! 🙂

  11. sarah says:

    What an amazing combonation of textures and flavors, I love it!

  12. Angie@Angie's Recipes says:

    What a splendid idea! I must try it soon! It looks so nutritious and healthy!

  13. Sook @ My Fabulous Recipes says:

    Oh what a beautiful dish!! Love all the vegetables!

  14. Adele says:

    I love eggs, I love potatoes. Not a huge pepper fan, but this recipe looks divine. Good to remember this one when looking for a eggs-on-toast alternative.

  15. MaryMoh says:

    Ooooh….I love this. I can use sweet potato to make this. Beautiful presentation.

  16. Priya says:

    Wat a fantabulous stuffed dish….soo beautiful..

  17. Rosa says:

    That dish is awesome and so original!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  18. Joanne says:

    I love the sound of shakshouka, especially with yams rather than white potatoes. Tunisia is a good place, apparently.

  19. kim says:

    I don’t eat eggs, but this Israeli restaurant that I go to (known for their hummus) makes this killer shashouka and it’s cooked in a skillet. I love your creativity and construction of your dish. 🙂 Lovely.

  20. peachkins says:

    I love the looks of this dish!

  21. 5 Star Foodie says:

    What a unique creation! I love the egg in the stuffing!

  22. Anna says:

    Ciao!
    first of all, thanks for commenting on my blog. I am glad that you have found me and would like to follow you and your fabolous recipes..I like to be in contact with new people and learn more about different cultures. Thanks for this recipe…it remembered me one of my last travel, it was just in Tunisia. I felt in love with Tunisia! The place that your speak about…”little houses painted white with light blue louvers” maybe it’s the same that I have seen, the name of the little village is Sidi Bou Said, isn’t it? 🙂
    Thanks again!
    A presto
    Anna

  23. Julie says:

    Waouh c’est presque un “burger” mais de grand chef! La présentation est magnifique, comme d’habitude! (j’ai l’impression de radoter mais je le pense vraiment hein :))

  24. Erica says:

    I am a huge egg fan! This looks beautiful…..Great dish for Easter.

  25. Jagruti says:

    Love this dish..looks awesome and pics looks great!!

  26. Touria says:

    Marhaba Joumana
    This dish sounds so delicious
    I made chakchouka too but with a little difference
    http://cuisnetouria.e-monsite.com/rubrique,cuisine-tunisienne,663153.html
    kisses

  27. Rachana Kothari says:

    What an unique creation. Lovely clicks.

  28. Nadjibella says:

    Ta version revisitée de la Chakchouka me plait beaucoup.
    Serait-il possible d’avoir plus de précisions sur Walima?
    A bientôt.

  29. sophia says:

    I’ve made something like this before! With egg in potato…but why oh why did I not think of sweet potato? This dish is glorious.

  30. heni says:

    Wonderful idea and presentation Joumana Chachouka is also eaten in my native country and throughou the Balkans … but I love your way, def keeper!

  31. heni says:

    Chackouka is also eaten in my native Hungary and althroughout the Balkans; I love your idea! Def bookmarking it and trying it Joumana!

  32. Natashya says:

    Delicious! Sweet potatoes and eggs are two of hubby’s favourites. I will give this a try.

  33. Doc says:

    Well you’ve given me brunch this weekend! Looks fantastic. While moving into the new place, I came across some sumac I got in Turkey recently. Do you use this spice in Lebanese cooking?

  34. Simply Life says:

    wow! this is so creative and so pretty!

  35. Mimi says:

    You make the most interesting foods. This looks so good!
    Mimi

  36. Michelle says:

    I love this dish! Cooking eggs in creative ways is always so much fun! Love it!

  37. yasmeen says:

    yum! glad I read your post,haven’t cooked for this challenge yet.

  38. Faith says:

    I don’t really know much about Tunisian cuisine at all, so thank you so much for sharing this gorgeous, unique dish! It looks really delicious!

  39. shayma says:

    i’m a big fan of eggs for dinner and this is just the sort of dish i’d like to have on a rainy, dreary night, x shayma

  40. Bo says:

    This is so awsome. I could have never even imagined cooking an egg like this.

  41. [ec] vancouver || js says:

    What a beautiful dish! Oh I’ve been having a wonderful time reading through your blog: I’m subscribed to it now. Looking forward to making some Lebanese dishes!

  42. Cara says:

    Since I just recently discovered Israeli-style shakshouka, I had no idea that other versions varied such as this Lebanese one baked in a potato. I would definitely go for the yam or sweet potato in this case because I think the resulting flavor would be similar to a sweet potato hash and eggs – delicious!

  43. carina says:

    it looks so delicious. Know now what the family is getting for supper tonight. Lovely pics, and you make me want to pack a bag and venture off to those beautiful places. Love your blog!!!

Add a Comment