Shakshuka
The word shakshuka comes from Arabic, meaning, “a haphazard mixture” or “all mixed up.”
This is actually a North African dish traditionally, the traditional shakshuka dish would have used chopped tomatoes though and not lentils. You can use red or green lentils. This dish is incredibly tasty, packed full of healthy ingredients and can be so versatile. We used it as a main dish for a wintery friday evening, also it can be used minus the eggs as a layer or two in a lasagna. What about having it as a soup, leave out the eggs and add chicken strips and skip the drain part of the lentil method. Keep adding water until you have the thickness of the soup you require.
Why are lentils so good for you?
highly beneficial for heart health. The fibre, folic acid, and potassium in lentils all support heart health. … Lentils add essential vitamins, minerals, and fibre to the diet, and they provide plenty of protein.
- They’re full of polyphenols. …
- They’re a good source of iron. …
- Lentils are good for your bones. …
- They’re also super high in magnesium.
Ok, lets make this version of shakshura.
Ingredients:
- 150g dried green lentils, rinsed
- 600ml vegetable stock, made with 2 stock cubes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 4 celery stalk, diced
- 2 tsp lazy garlic
- 250g chestnut mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 red chillies, both deseeded, 1 finely diced, the other thinly sliced
- 1 whole nutmeg, to grate
- 200g kale, thick stalks removed and chopped
- 4 large eggs
- 50g feta cheese, crumbled
- 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
- Place the lentils in a large saucepan. Cover with the stock and boil for 10 minutes. Lower the heat and cover, simmering gently, for 10-15 minutes until tender.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over a medium heat in a large pan. Add the onions and celery, lower the heat, and cook for 10 minutes until the onions have softened and just start to colour. Add the lazy garlic and mushrooms and sauté for another 3 minutes. Add the cumin, diced red chilli and a few fresh gratings of nutmeg and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add half the kale and, as it starts to shrink down, add the rest of the kale and cook for 8-10 minutes until wilted.
- Drain the lentils, add them to the kale mixture and stir through, seasoning lightly. Pat down the mixture and create 4 pools evenly spaced apart. Carefully crack an egg into each pool. Bake 180 degrees for 10 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks are nice and runny.
- Once the eggs are cooked, remove from the oven and sprinkle over the feta, parsley and thinly sliced red chilli with some freshly cracked black pepper.
There are so many options, this dish can be used many ways.
Enjoy x
