Guest Post: Cafe Ella Jerusalem

 Thank you to a long-time reader and shakshuka mentor for this post.

A Satisfying Skillet: The Thessaloniki Shakshuka

At Cafe Ella in Jerusalem, the "Thessaloniki shakshuka"  arrived in a sizzling cast-iron skillet with a vibrant, fresh tomato sauce.

This version of the Mediterranean classic is defined by its key ingredients: charred eggplant and roasted peppers blended into the sauce, all topped with two farm eggs and feta cheese. Prepared in a stone oven, the dish has a well-developed flavor. The charred eggplant was a dominant and pleasant note, giving the sauce a smoky depth.

A small but important detail was that the eggs were cooked exactly as requested. The meal was served with a basket of fresh sourdough bread, suitable for dipping, and a personal side salad with a simple vinaigrette, providing a fresh contrast to the rich skillet. Give it a try, especially if you're a fan of eggplant.

Guest Post - Bagel Cafe Ramat Eshkol

I’d like to start with a mention of the presentation. The shakshuka was in a very nice small iron skillet thing and there was a bagel too, which I enjoyed thoroughly. The salad had a little bit of a weird dressing even though I’m not so sure it one could call it that. There was an additional taste to the vegetables and I thought it just made them less apPEELing (get it!). 

Anyway, the shakshuka was good! It had a tangy spicy thing happening which was a little much for me because spicy food is not my thing but overall I would say it was an 8/10! Also, the egg was cooked in a way that there wasn’t as much egg white as possible and I really like the egg white so that was a little bit of a disappointing aspect of it. But it was still good! 8/10!!

-   YYR

The Shukshaka is Back!

 After a long slumber, the Shahshuka blog is back - the spirit of the blog was revived from a post-COVID 19 family visit to Israel. Long live the Shahshuka. With apologies for the silence.  

Bagel Cafe - Jerusalem

Some people say that good food is about good timing, but I also think it may be about naming.  My five-year-old son was INSISTENT on ordering Shakshuka.  I warned him that probably wasn't what he wanted but he was really sure.  As this wasn't my first rodeo, I ordered a kid's bagel and egg for 'myself' and made the Shakshuka request for Mr. 5-Year-Old.

Now, where did he ever get an idea for ordering Shakshuka?  Perhaps modeling in the home??? Nonetheless, the dish arrived and he proclaimed that this wasn't what he ordered. Apparently, there was five-year-old language confusion between Shakshuka and a fruit shake.  (My 11 year old know it all said that she knew that's what he really wanted but I wasn't listening).

Bagel Cafe's strength is their bagels - which, when toasted do provide for a nice complement to reasonable Shakshuka. The appearance didn't seem to give a balanced egg/sauce ratio but this does not reflect the actual consistency.  Looking now, the appearance looks very lopsided.  Good onions, not too tart and the eggs were cooked right.  This is not destination Shakshuka - but dipping the toasted bagel was nice way to finish off a lunch that I wasn't planning to eat.

WDC Home Brew Shakshuka

In the heart of the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, DC, lies a modest, lesser-known building - The Richmond.  Inside The Richmond, living amongst the residents of the nation's capital is an independently trained chef who has almost perfected the art of the Shakshuka. 

There was a healthy mixture of texture and taste with no bitterness from the tomato paste. While I find many home-cooked meals can have a risk of a 50/50 hit/miss rate - (while you do hope restaurants have a much higher (but not guaranteed) hit rate) – this was a smashing homerun.

The presentation was superb – great attention to freshness and diversity in the dish. I think that one of the hallmarks of great Shakshuka is that you almost don’t realize that it is an egg dish – this was a wonderful blending of ingredients that created a scrumptious celebration in your mouth. So yummy I forwent the bread and just enjoyed a direct fork to mouth digestion. Such was my experience at The Richmond.  A hidden gem in the heart of DC (and sometimes Jerusalem).

Guest Post: Shakshuka & Tisha B'av

Ever wonder about the connection of shakshuka to Tisha B’Av? If you’re guessing, this dish conforms with the custom of eating meals without meat during the 9 days before Tisha B’Av; I’d say your eggs need to cook a little more.

Actually, shakshuka is the Arabic and Hebrew pronunciation of the Libyan or Tunisian food Tchaktchuka also known as Tuktuka in other North African countries. We owe thanks for this culinary delight to the Berbers who called this dish “mixture” (Wow, that’s original) and handed it over to their Jewish neighbors. Relations with the Berbers weren’t always so great, though. Lusius Quietus (Luscious Quiet? Really??) was the Romanized Berber who commanded the Roman forces against the Jews in the Kitos war also known as Mered Hagaluyot (revolt of the Diaspora Jews) that sort of added spice and heat to the Jewish Roman Wars that culminated in the destruction of the temple and apparently kicked much of the remaining Jews to the Diaspora frying pan.

Anyway, next time you catch a piece of eggshell in your Shakshuka – just chalk it up to a commemoration of the destruction of the Temples.

E Bialik

Guest Post: Diaspora Shakshuka - NYC Style

Thank you to an Great and long time friend for this first review of shakshuka outside of Israel:

The shakshuka at Sunflower Cafe in Amsterdam and West 93rd street is one of the best diaspora shakshukas you can find. Let's break it down.

The Sauce: The original red stuff is full of tomato tang and slightly sweet with a hint of heat. The roasted red peppers mixed in were a nice touch. Loved the texture.

The Eggs: Poached but a slight firmness to the yolk. If anything they could have been less done. Still delicious.

An optional topping: Cheese. I'm from Minnesota. Melted cheese always wins.

This was a delicious meal shared with not one but two Rosenbergs. Excellent!

L'shana Ha Bah B'yerushalayim!