A good many of you were excited to make this favorite shortbread recipe, so with that in mind I’m passing along a recently-tried-and-is-a-keeper egg dish as we head out of the holidays and back to the cold, winter months here in much of the US.

I recently had Shakshuka at a local restaurant which inspired me to see if Melissa Clark had done anything with it.  Below you’ll find her recipe from the NYT.  (I think the gift article should work and everyone should be able to click through.)

This dish comes together quickly, is delicious and warming, and makes an amazing brunch dish (or cozy dinner).

Couple of notes: I overcooked the eggs and will need to practice (like quiche!), knowing how they look when just perfectly set.  Also: This recipe calls for feta to be mixed into the sauce, which is very tasty, but a bit rich and salty.  On my next go, I’m going to use less and sprinkle some on top, see how that turns out.

Enjoy and Happy New Year!

Shakshuka with Feta

By Melissa Clark

Ingredients

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne, or to taste
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes with their juices, coarsely chopped
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more as needed
• 5 ounces feta, crumbled (about 1¼ cups)
• 6 large eggs
• Chopped cilantro, for serving
• Hot sauce, for serving

Preparation

Step 1

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook gently until very soft, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes; stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne, and cook 1 minute. Pour in tomatoes and season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in crumbled feta.

Step 2

Gently crack eggs into skillet over tomatoes. Season eggs with salt and pepper. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until eggs are just set, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with hot sauce.