Shakshuka [Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce]

Adapted from Saveur, stolen from Smitten Kitchen (notes about chiles in ingredient list are from SK)

Serves 4 to 6

1/4 cup olive oil
5 Anaheim chiles or 3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped (I was nervous and only used 2 Anaheims; I would go for 3 or 4 next time for a more moderate but still gentle kick)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
Kosher salt, to taste
6 eggs
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Warm pitas, for serving

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat [KV: I thought this was a bit too hot on my stove top]. Add chiles and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands. Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt.

Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce’s surface. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with pitas, for dipping.

RESULTS:
You know me, I'm all about following the directions (um, just ignore the last three years of blog posts, ok?). Yep, that's me, ol' Follow the Recipe KV. But I just couldn't find the right kind of chiles, okay? I got Anchos. There are a lot of letters in common with Anaheim. They're also both mild to medium heat, but I suspect that if anaheims are the same size as jalepenos, then anchos are much bigger than anaheims. So anyway, because of this, I really can't tell you how many chiles you should use, other than what's written in the recipe. I used three dried anchos (seeded), and the sauce is definitely on the upper end of what I would consider comfortable and starting to immigrate into the Land of Inedible if I eat too fast. I probably have a lower tolerance for heat (well, non-old Bay heat) than your average 20-50 year old, so take that for what you will.

Otherwise, the dish sure looks really pretty. I'm not sure I can tell you what it tastes like. Thanks to my cold I definitely can't tell you what it smells like. But it's pretty. By the way, I had no pitas, so I'm eating this with some leftover rice, which helps a (very) little with the heat.

Beth, Jean and I were pondering over the issue of leftovers. When you're cooking this sort of dish for less than 4 people, how do you save some for later? Other than simply halving the recipe, we decided it would work if you make everything up until the egg. Portion the sauce out and freeze or refrigerate those portions. When you're ready to eat them, just thaw and bring them up to a simmer and add the egg and cheese. As for the portion you're eating the day you make it, move that into a smaller saucepan or pot before adding the egg so there's enough liquid. I haven't frozen and then thawed the sauce yet, so I don't know if this would work, but I freeze tomato sauces all the time and it turns out.

Also, as a side note, do make sure before you put it on the food that your old feta isn't growing un-authorized mold or mildew. That may help you get over your cold, but in this case the cure would be worse than the, uh... illness? I forgot the phrase. You know what I mean.