Recipe: Doc’s Heart Healthy Shakshuka

Dig into a delish brunch dish from Doctor Madaiah Revana, owner of Alexana Estate. Featuring savory ingredients and baked eggs, you’ll enjoy every flavorful bite! Serves 2-3 as a main and 5-6 as a side.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper or roasted red bell pepper, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, reduce or omit if sensitive to spice
• 1 large can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, plus addition cilantro or
• parsley leaves for garnish
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 5 to 6 large eggs
• ½ cup crumbled feta
• Rye Bread, for serving

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Warm the oil in a large, oven-safe skillet (preferably stainless steel) over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the onion, bell pepper, and salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are tender and turning translucent, about 4 to 6 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, tomato paste, cumin, paprika and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring constantly, until nice and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Pour in the crushed tomatoes with their juices and add the cilantro. Stir, and let the mixture come to a simmer. Reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook for 5 minutes to give the flavors time to meld.
4. Turn off the heat. Taste (careful, it’s hot), and add salt and pepper as necessary. Use the back of a spoon to make a well near the perimeter and crack the egg directly into the mixture.
5. Gently spoon a bit of the tomato mixture over the whites to help contain the egg. Repeat with the remaining 4 to 5 eggs, depending on how many you can fit. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the eggs.
6. Carefully transfer the skillet to the oven (it’s heavy) and bake for 8 to 12 minutes, checking often once you reach 8 minutes. They’re done when the egg whites are an opaque white and the yolks have risen a bit but are still soft. They should still jiggle in the centers when you shimmy the pan. (Keep in mind that they’ll continue cooking after you pull the dish out of the oven.)
7. Using oven mitts (both hands!), transfer the hot skillet to a heat-safe surface like the stove. Top with the crumbled feta, fresh cilantro leaves, and more red pepper flakes, if desired. Serve in bowls with crusty bread on the side.

WINE PAIRINGS

Recommendations provided by Alexana’s Mike Duffy, Certified Sommelier & Private Client Host

• 2021 Alexana ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir – One of my favorite brunch options, this tomato-forward dish is not the easiest to pair, but shines alongside a delicious light bodied Pinot Noir like this gem cultivated in the Dundee Hills. A blend of 11 clones of Pinot Noir grown in 18 different soil types, this rustic dish perfectly frames the complex flavors of red fruit and earth that burst through on the palate.
• 2022 White Walnut ‘Estate Worden Hill Road’ Pinot Noir – This low intervention Pinot Noir sourced from 24-year-old vines was fermented in concrete tanks, allowing for a pure expression of the fruit and rocky soils it originates from. The warmth of the 2022 vintage is showcased here with a ripe berry dominant palate, contrasting the high acid of the fire roasted tomatoes, and the minerality perfectly balancing the overall experience.