You can find tons of interesting things at Fox Farm Foods. Located on 32nd Street in Joplin, this store offers a wide and unusual variety of unique, often foreign-made consumables.
Food, snacks, drinks, supplements, and ingredients are piled onto the many shelves.
The Middle Eastern aisle grabbed my attention once. A small collection of ready-to-eat meals included something called “shakshuka.”
Looking not all that appetizing, I finally built up enough courage to look it up and see for myself what this dish was all about.
Shakshuka originated in North Africa. It’s very common in Morocco and Tunisia, and has been adopted by many localities across the globe.
This dish is highly flexible, with a basic set of ingredients that allow for substantial customization.
The base is oil with garlic, yellow onion, and other spices. Crushed tomatoes are added. Pits get made in the tomato sauce and eggs cracked and dropped in. Then the dish simmers for a few minutes, poaching the eggs.
Our family prefers to eat this with homemade bread, or on a tortilla as a taco. Traditionally, it is spooned up with a slice of rustic bread, where the hot mixture delightfully softens the hard carb.
Italians use basil, oregano, and top with parsley and mozzarella, affectionately referring to it as “eggs in purgatory.”
Adding red and green bell pepper, then topping with avocado and queso fresco turns this into a Tex-Mex dish. Use gyro meat and top with feta cheese for a more Greek experience.
Eggs can be substituted with eggplant for a vegan option. Meat is not traditionally used, although it can certainly be added; try chicken or bacon.
You can level up this dish by incorporating harissa or sumac. Other local spice specialties can be added for more profound flavorful experiences.
Ingredients
• Olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes
• Garlic powder (to preference)
• 6 eggs
Directions
Get a large skillet or pan up to medium heat. Dice onion. Sprinkle olive oil in pan, then add onions. Stir and cook until caramelized.
Add a can of crushed tomatoes and garlic powder, mix well. Cover, then simmer for 4-5 minutes.
After simmering, remove cover, stir well, then make pits for eggs. Crack an egg in each pit, cover, simmer another 4 minutes.
This should poach the eggs over easy. If you want over hard, extend the cook time.
(Alek Miller lives in Neosho and can be reached at alekmiller@pm.me.)
