Shakshuka is my new favorite meal...

...and I'll tell you why. This Israeli dish is flavorful, bold, slightly spicy, hearty, and actually very healthy for you. It's one of those vegetarian dishes that doesn't leave you feeling like you're still hungry and is also a perfect meal for a cold winter day/night. Did I mention it can also be eaten for breakfast/lunch/or dinner?! In short, it's perfect.

Makes about 4 servings
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped into pieces roughly the size of a grain of rice
1 jalapeño pepper, deseeded and small-diced
1 red bell pepper deseeded and small-diced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 ground coriander
2 pounds (1kg) ripe tomatoes, cored and diced, or one 28-ounce can of tomatoes
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
4 or 5 eggs
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
4 pieces of pita bread (optional)

Instructions:
1) In a large cast iron skillet, heat up the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent then add the garlic and stir to avoid burning. Allow to cook for a minute.
2) Add the jalapeño, red bell pepper, salt, black pepper, and all of the spices. Cook for a minute allowing the spiced to become fragrant, and stirring constantly to avoid burning the spices.
3) Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, honey, and vinegar. Simmer for about 10 minutes over medium-low heat allowing it to reduce without burning the bottom. Make sure you also stir occasionally to help the liquid reduce and further prevent burning. 

 
4) This is where you can decide to either finish the dish in the skillet or make individual portions. Keep in mind you can also make some individual portions and freeze any leftover sauce for future meals. 

--If finishing in the skillet: Turn off the heat and make indentations in the sauce for each egg you are going to cook. Then crack the eggs into these little wells you created and break the white a bit by dragging it into the sauce with a fork. Turn the heat back on and bring to a simmer. Cover the skillet with a lid and allow to cook for another 5-10 minutes depending on how runny you want the yolk. Garnish with the parsley and serve in the skillet alone or with some warm pita.

--If making individual servings: Preheat your oven to 350 F and divide the sauce into individual ramekins or baking dishes, one for each serving you wish to prepare. Place the dishes onto a baking tray and make indentations into each one with the back of a spoon. Crack an egg into each dish and cook in the oven for about 10-15 minutes depending on how you want your egg cooked. Garnish with some fresh parsley and serve alone or with some warm pita bread. Enjoy!!