Course
Breakfast
Serves
4
Shakshuka is a baked egg dish that originated in North Africa but has taken on countless variations and is now common in middle eastern cuisine. If you do a quick google search nicknames will pop up that you might be more familiar with such as “eggs in purgatory” or “eggs in hell”.
My wild game take on shakshuka is a cross between the traditional version and huevos rancheros with the added bonus of intensely seasoned Mexican chorizo made with Canada geese. This is a great one pan meal for a hearty brunch or you can make breakfast for dinner, my favorite.
The best part of shakshuka is how adaptable it is. Feel free to mix in various ingredients that you like, I usually clean out the fridge of odd end veggies to avoid food waste. If you don’t have chorizo already made in the freezer you can substitute with plain ground meat from pretty much any type of game you’ve got in the freezer and season with your favorite taco seasoning or use ground sausage.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. wild game chorizo
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 jalapeno/serrano, minced
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 t. each of cumin, paprika
- 1/4 t. cayenne *optional for spicy
- 3 C. crushed tomatoes
- 4-6 eggs (bring to room temp)
- oil for cooking
- cilantro, avocado, cotija cheese, tortillas, or potatoes for serving
Preparation
Preheat an oven to 375 degrees.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and brown the chorizo. Once you lay the meat down let it sizzle and cook on one side until brown before flipping over. Brown opposite side and then stir and cook additional minute or two until nearly cook. Remove the chorizo and set aside on a plate. Reduce the heat to medium and add another drizzle of oil. Add the onions and saute for several minutes until translucent. Add the bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic and continue to cook until soften. Sprinkle in the cumin, paprika and cayenne if using. Return the cooked chorizo to the skillet and then start to stir in the tomatoes. You may not need all three of tomato sauce, you don’t want to fill it to the brim. Let the tomatoes cook and reduce down, reducing heat if needed for several more minutes. This helps to thicken the sauce so you can create a “well” for eggs.
Using a spoon, make 4-6 wells and crack an egg in to each spot. The number of eggs you will need depends on how wide your pan is. The whites will start to run if you don’t have a well dug in and you don’t want to place the eggs too close together.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the eggs are set. The whites will cover over the yolk (but you can pull it back with a spoon like I did). 12 minutes will get you a soft boil, jammy yolk texture. Bake it longer if desired.
Because the eggs are set they are easy to serve a big spoonful either on top of a charred tortilla or over roasted potatoes with beans or rice. Optional garnish of extra cilantro, avocado, cheese, etc.
Shakshuka is a baked egg dish that originated in North Africa but has taken on countless variations and is now common in middle eastern cuisine. If you do a quick google search nicknames will pop up that you might be more familiar with such as “eggs in purgatory” or “eggs in hell”.
My wild game take on shakshuka is a cross between the traditional version and huevos rancheros with the added bonus of intensely seasoned Mexican chorizo made with Canada geese. This is a great one pan meal for a hearty brunch or you can make breakfast for dinner, my favorite.
The best part of shakshuka is how adaptable it is. Feel free to mix in various ingredients that you like, I usually clean out the fridge of odd end veggies to avoid food waste. If you don’t have chorizo already made in the freezer you can substitute with plain ground meat from pretty much any type of game you’ve got in the freezer and season with your favorite taco seasoning or use ground sausage.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. wild game chorizo
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 jalapeno/serrano, minced
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 t. each of cumin, paprika
- 1/4 t. cayenne *optional for spicy
- 3 C. crushed tomatoes
- 4-6 eggs (bring to room temp)
- oil for cooking
- cilantro, avocado, cotija cheese, tortillas, or potatoes for serving
Preparation
Preheat an oven to 375 degrees.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and brown the chorizo. Once you lay the meat down let it sizzle and cook on one side until brown before flipping over. Brown opposite side and then stir and cook additional minute or two until nearly cook. Remove the chorizo and set aside on a plate. Reduce the heat to medium and add another drizzle of oil. Add the onions and saute for several minutes until translucent. Add the bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic and continue to cook until soften. Sprinkle in the cumin, paprika and cayenne if using. Return the cooked chorizo to the skillet and then start to stir in the tomatoes. You may not need all three of tomato sauce, you don’t want to fill it to the brim. Let the tomatoes cook and reduce down, reducing heat if needed for several more minutes. This helps to thicken the sauce so you can create a “well” for eggs.
Using a spoon, make 4-6 wells and crack an egg in to each spot. The number of eggs you will need depends on how wide your pan is. The whites will start to run if you don’t have a well dug in and you don’t want to place the eggs too close together.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the eggs are set. The whites will cover over the yolk (but you can pull it back with a spoon like I did). 12 minutes will get you a soft boil, jammy yolk texture. Bake it longer if desired.
Because the eggs are set they are easy to serve a big spoonful either on top of a charred tortilla or over roasted potatoes with beans or rice. Optional garnish of extra cilantro, avocado, cheese, etc.