There are so many different variations on Shashuka, but my particular favorite is when it’s fused with Ratatouille, which to many may seem sacrilegious. The origins of Shashuka, per The Culture Trip, is from northeast African cultures although it appears to be a popular Middle Eastern dish, often enjoyed as a breakfast item. Ratatouille has it’s origins from Provence, a region of France. Both dishes although from different geo-graphical locations, have more similarities than differences. The word shashuka essentially means ‘”all mixed up”, and the word ratatouille comes from the French verb, which means, “to stir up”. Even within Indian cuisine there is a word “shaak” often referring to different combination vegetables, typically prepared to be spicy. Linguistically the root languages of many of these dishes not only sound similar, but also contextually have the same meaning.

Growing up in an Indian family that migrated to the States in the 60’s, I learned that spices and flavors have a way to cross-culturally integrate. So, with this knowledge, I wonder, “is any fusion dish, truly sacrilegious?”

I say, ‘NO’!

So, be brilliantly brave & creative in all your fusion endeavors in the kitchen.

My version of the Shashuka fusion resulted in a spicy stew of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, sautéed with caramelized onions, and a of mix vegetables including red bell peppers, zucchini, and squash; layered with slices of a large beefsteak tomato and dollops of ricotta; and seasoned with generous amount of garlic and spices including subtle amounts of cumin, sweet paprika, cayenne pepper and a dash of nutmeg, with a final garnish of with and feta cheese.

This savory dish makes a delicious gravy that can be soaked up with a flavorful such as a fresh rosemary parmesan bread, a whole wheat pita bread, or over baked sweet potato fries. I served this dish last night with super garlicky garlic-bread, and parmesan cheese as an additional garnish.

The Ingredients

This dish requires a bit of prep-work, especially to create the base tomato gravy sauce, which I generally make from scratch. However, the other day I snagged a Shashuka starter kit from my all-time favorite speciality store, Trader Joe’s. Utilizing this kit is a nice hack (I love hacks, and short-cuts!) to create the base gravy.

• 5 large eggs
• 1 Trader Joe’s Shashuka kit (or see my base sauce recipe)
• Several cloves of minced garlic (or use my garlic hack, and use Trader Joe’s pre-peeled garlic) – go ahead, add more 😉
• 1-3 tsp minced garlic in a jar (or reserve garlic from the cloves)
• 1 large thinly sliced beefsteak tomato
• 1 medium julienne cut sweet red bell pepper
• 1 small julienne cut brown onion
• 1 medium thinly sliced zucchini
• 1 medium thinly sliced yellow squash
• 3-6 ounces Fresh crumbled feta cheese
• Fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 2-3 ounces of ricotta cheese
• Ground cumin powder
• Kosher salt (to taste)
• Sweet Paprika powder
• Cayenne powder
• Bragg’s Nutritional Yeast (optional)
• Herbs de Provence (or use Trader Joe’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil infused with Herbs de Provence)
• 1-3 tsp. Red Wine Balsamic Vinegar (I prefer Trader Joe’s Balsamic Vinegar of Modena brand)
• EVOO

The Process…

My approach is to layer. I suggest using your creativity on how you layer, but pay attention to how long you cook each layer, with a covered lid, while paying attention to the temperature.

• Heat large-deep skillet on medium-high heat
• Caramelize onions in EVOO
• Add chopped garlic
• Arrange layer of the zucchini and yellow squash, and cover skillet
• Meanwhile defrost starter tomato sauce
• Continue allowing the vegetables to cook for 3-5 more minutes
• Stir contents
• Turn the heat down to medium-low
• Evenly drizzle the Herb de Provence infused oil on skillet
• Add a layer of the thinly cut beefsteak tomatoes over the vegetables in the skillet
• Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over each tomato
• Sprinkle the minced garlic (or reserved garlic from the cloves) of the tomatoes, and cover skillet
• Continue cooking for 3-5 minutes
• Dollop the ricotta over each slice of the beefsteak tomatoes
• Add 1/2 of the defrosted Shashuka starter sauce over the tomatoes
• Add the cumin, kosher salt, nutritional yeast (optional), and a dash of nutmeg
• Layer the cut red peppers over the sauce
• Add remaining starter sauce over the peppers
• Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes
• Crack the eggs evenly spread out, and cover skillet for a couple of minutes
• Slightly poke at each egg to break the yolk, and cover the skillet again for a couple of more minutes
• Garnish with evenly sprinkled feta, parsley, and a colorful dash of the sweet paprika over each poached egg

Base Sauce

If you are making your sauce from scratch follow this simple approach.

Ingredients

• 1 tbs EVO 5 large peeled and chopped Roma tomatoes
• 3-5 cloves finely minced garlic
• 2-3 tablespoons canned tomato paste
• 1/2 small finely chopped brown onion
• 1/2 fresh finely chopped chili, with seeds removed (optional)

The Process

• Peel tomatoes
• Chop all the vegetables
• Heat EVOO in small-medium sauce pan
• Add onions
• Add garlic
• Stir contents
• Add tomato paste
• Add chopped tomatoes
• Mix and cover
• Reduce heat
• Add 2-3 ounces of water
• Continue cooking until texture thickens to a gravy consistency
• Season per taste (I tend to like heat!)