SHAKSHUKA

Adapted from Alton Brown

Ingredients:

2 red peppers

1/4 cup olive oil

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp Urfa Biber Harissa (recipe below)

1 Tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp Quick Preserved Lemons, mashed (recipe below)

2 lbs. heirloom tomatoes, halved and seeded

6 large eggs

Chopped leaf parsley, for garnishing

Directions:

Set the oven rack to the top-most position and set broiler to high

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise, discard seeds, and place cut-side down on a sheet pan. Broil until the skins are completely charred, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the peppers to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap and allow to steam for 15 minutes. Rub skins off under running water. Drain and roughly chop into half-inch squares.

Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Stir in the garlic and salt and cook until the garlic begins to brown, about 1 minute.

Add the harissa, brown sugar, and preserved lemons and cook, stirring vigorously for 30 seconds. Follow with the peppers, then grate the tomatoes directly into the pan using the large holes of a box grater, discarding the remaining pieces of skin. Reduce the heat the medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove to a dish towel.

Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a boil and prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Carefully lower the eggs (in their shells) into the boiling water and cook for 1 minute and then dunk in the ice bath for 30 seconds. Remove to a dish towel.

Create 6 divots in the stew with the back of a large spoon or ladle, making them deep enough to hold the eggs without pushing through to the bottom of the pan. Crack the par-cooked eggs into the divots. Cook over medium-low heat until the whites are just set but the yolks are still runny, about 12 minutes.

Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Urfa Biber Harissa:

2 Tbsp cumin seeds

1 Tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp caraway seeds

1/4 c. olive oil

8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp salt

1 cup urba biber (urfa pepper) or sub with aleppo pepper

3 Tbsp tomato paste

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

Toast the cumin, coriander, and caraway in a dry cast-iron skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in the olive oil, garlic, onions, and salt. Cook until the garlic begins to brown, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the urfa biber and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the red wine vinegar and cook 2 minutes more.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor fitted with a standard S-blade and process until smooth, scraping down the side as needed. Store in a tightly sealed glass container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Quick Preserved Lemons:

4 lemons, scrubbed and dried, plus the juice for 1 lemon

40 grams, salt

Trim off the ends of the lemons. Slice each lemon into 8 wedges, removing any seeds as you go. Reserve as much of the juice as possible.

Layer the lemon wedges in a wide-mouth 16-ounce canning jar, covering each layer with salt. Pack the jars as tightly as possible, pressing down to release the lemons’ juice as you go leaving about 1/4 inch head space in the jar.

Cover the wedges with the reserved lemon juice from the cutting board and the ends. If your lemons do not release a significant amount of juice, top off the jar with the juice of another lemon.

Stash in the fridge for 4 days, then flip the jar over and age another 4 days before sampling. The peel should be nice and soft. Rinse before using.

Expect peak flavor and texture after a month. As long as they’re kept refrigerated, preserved lemons should keep indefinitely.