Chickpea and Chard Shakshuka
Aside from food, my greatest passion is travel. There’s a quote that I love that sums it up pretty nicely for me: “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.”
I’m especially infatuated with travel to places where I feel like I’m really far from home – somewhere with an entirely different language, set of customs, and – of course – an exotic (to me, at least) food scene. When I’m daydreaming of driving to the International Departures terminal but life dictates that I stay home instead, I crack open my cookbooks and cook something with its origins someplace very far from my New Jersey kitchen.
Shakshuka is a traditionally North African dish (also very popular in Israel) that is essentially poached eggs in a spiced tomato sauce. It’s often eaten for breakfast, but really can be enjoyed all day long. I’ve been long wanting to try Shakshuka, so when I was recently asked by a client to make a veganized version, I was excited to get to work on developing my spin on the recipe. Since I love chickpeas pretty much any time of day, I used them as my replacement for the eggs. A meal doesn’t feel complete to me without some sort of green vegetable, so I wilted earthy Swiss Chard into the pot as well, and the result was something really comforting, subtly spicy, and really nourishing. I love that you can eat this year round, any time of day, and it only uses one pot! Feel free to sub in any dark leafy green for the chard – thinly sliced collards or spinach would both be excellent.
Notes
Shakshuka will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Fresno chili, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups tightly packed chopped Swiss chard leaves
- Warm pita bread or cooked couscous, for serving
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large, straight sided saute pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and Fresno chili and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add crushed tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, turmeric, coriander, Aleppo pepper, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Let simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and add chickpeas and Swiss chard. Cook, stirring occasionally, an additional 5 minutes, or until chickpeas are warmed through and Swiss chard has completely wilted. Serve immediately with warm pita bread, or atop cooked couscous or quinoa.