Middle Eastern Tomatoes and Eggs

The only time I visited Israel, it was during Passover. Gastronomically, this was not the ideal time, given the dietary restrictions of the holiday. There was no pita bread, no hummus, no falafel. I was thankful, though, that there was shakshuka, eggs baked in fragrant tomato sauce, and a lot of it.There was shakshuka and yogurt for breakfast, shakshuka and salad for lunch, shakshuka and matzo for dinner. Rather than tiring of the egg dish, I became obsessed with it, noting the differences in the thickness and red-pepper content of the tomato sauces, and the firmness to which the eggs were poached, nestled in their ruddy bed.My favorite version, I decided, had a piquant, garlic-flecked tomato sauce that was heavy on soft, sweet onions and lighter on the peppers. As for spices, I wanted to be able to taste the cumin and paprika but not be overwhelmed by them, while the cayenne should provide just a gentle slap of heat. Perhaps most important, the eggs needed to be just set but not quite solid, with the yolks still wiggling and ready to flow with the merest suggestion of contact with my fork.When I got home, I distilled what I knew about shakshuka into skillet after skillet of the stuff until I came up with the version I liked best. Once I had it down, I didn't change the basic formula for years.Then recently I added some crumbled feta cheese to the pan along with the eggs. Feta softens but doesn't melt when it's baked in the oven, creating creamy, salty nuggets strewn among the tomato-sauce-lapped eggs. Although I haven't tried it, I imagine that a soft, fresh goat cheese will also work if cut into pieces before being added to the pan.
I'll serve this for any meal of the day, just as they do in Israel, but it's especially fitting for brunch. Since it's not Passover and I'm not in Israel, chunks of crusty bread or soft pitas do a fine job of sopping up the fragrant sauce. And on that note, hummus is particularly nice alongside.Shakshuka with fetaTime: 50 minutes
Yield: 3 to 6 servings3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced1 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced1 teaspoon ground cumin1 teaspoon sweet paprika1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes with juices, coarsely chopped3/4 teaspoon salt, more as needed1/4 teaspoon black pepper, more as needed5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 1/4 cups)6 large eggsChopped cilantro, for servingHot sauce, for serving
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. 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 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in crumbled feta.3. Gently crack eggs into skillet over tomatoes. Season 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.©  2013 New York Times News Service