Since it’s still Birthday Week, I’m exercising my prerogative to eat all of my favorite foods. While I’ve already hit up sandwiches, some things barbecue, Doritos (seriously, my love) and all the ice cream (we’re working on 2x a day at this point- thank God for tennis), I’ve got some days left, and some French fries to eat. But first, how about these poached eggs in spicy Mexican-style tomato sauce?
But first, I think I need to think about not eating all things junk and for that, we have this dish. Lettuce is traipsing around the Middle East right now, torturing me and Yam with pictures of all its good eats, and both of us were reminded about how much we love shakshuka. Shakshuka, ICYMI, is a spicy tomato sauce cooked down and served with poached eggs and piles of warm, fluffy naan. It’s heaven, and a dish that is too easy to make and alas, not made often enough. Still, it’s a goodie, one worth a reminder every now and then.
But. BUT. You know I like to twist and morph things around a bit here on THB, and with that, I’ve salsified the shakshuka. That’s right. Since naming it Mexican shakshuka didn’t quite make sense, we’re going with poached eggs in spicy tomato sauce. Which, is sort of what shakshuka is in its essentials, but now we’re free to make it any flavors we want.
In truth, Middle Eastern flavors and Mexican flavors are very similar and a few spice swaps is all it takes to turn one into the other, and that’s exactly what I did:
White onion rather than red.
Lime rather than lemon.
Cilantro rather than parley.
Chili powder rather than paprika
Hatch chili cheddar (YAH!) rather than goat or feta.
Chorizo, yo.
Also, salsa!
Oh, and avocado!
All of it came together so quickly and so deliciously. I’d recommend serving this with freshly made/heated tortillas rather than naan, but since I didn’t have that, I served mine with regular bread on day 1, and then as toppings to tortilla chips (sort of like NACHOS) on day 2. Neither was a bad decision (but the chips, perhaps a slightly (slightly) better one).
Written before a massage. Treat yo’self.
Poached Eggs in Mexican-style Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 ounces (1 link) fresh chorizo, casing removed
- 1 TB olive oil
- 2 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced (if you want more heat, feel free to add more)
- 1 small white onion, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 heaping TB garlic, minced
- 1 TB ground cumin
- 1 TB chili powder
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 12-ounces of your favorite jarred salsa
- ½ cup water
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or queso fresco
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- Bread, warm tortillas or tortilla chips, for serving
Directions
- Step 1 Heat oil in a large, deep 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the crumbled chorizo and break further using a wooden spoon. Cook until about 75% done.
- Step 2 Add the peppers and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, oregano and chili powder, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.
- Step 3 Add the tomatoes and their liquid, the salsa, lime juice and water and reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until desired thickened, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
- Step 4 Crack the 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 with cheese and cilantro.
- Step 5 Serve with bread, warm tortillas or tortilla chips.
