Pimp my breakfast – Tel Aviv inspired egg recipes

It is the second lockdown here in Switzerland as well as in many countries in Europe and the USA. Swiss people love to go for brunch – especially on Sundays. Since we are confined to our homes, I start a new temporary category of this blog, the lockdown recipes. Yes, I only wanted to write about places and restaurants, but unusual times call for unusual measures. Both breakfast meals are inspired my husbands home city, the wonderful Tel Aviv and have become part of my “standard repertoire” in the kitchen. Shakshuka is a classic breakfast dish in Israel and Northern Africa and you find it on some menus even in Switzerland these days. My husband deserves all credit for the following recipe, which is as authentic as it gets. The other recipe for Avocado Toast is a copycat version of a menu item from Arcaffe, a chain of cafes throughout Israel. Contrary to most recipes I have seen online, the Arcaffe understood that avocado itself doesn’t provide much in terms of flavor and requires generous seasoning and spicing.

Shakshuka

for 2 persons standalone / 4 persons as part of a brunch. Prep time: 45 min.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 medium white onion
• 2 hard tomatoes
• 1 carrot
• 1 can diced tomatoes (400g)
• 2-3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. ketchup
• cumin, cardamom, smoked paprika powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, soy sauce, salt to season

Preparation

1. Chop the onion and the carrot. Bring the oil in a skillet to medium heat, add the onion and the carrot. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are tender and turning translucent, for about 5 minutes.
2. Chop the tomatoes in the meantime and add them to the skillet. Season with cumin, cardamom, smoked paprika powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper.
3. Then add the ketchup and the soy sauce. Cook until the soy sauce is reduced, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the diced tomatoes, stirr and then let simmer over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, until the texture is more like a stew than a sauce. (You are not preparing an italian tomato sauce.) Taste it and adjust seasoning to your liking.
5. Add the 4 eggs, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover with a lid for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for another 3-4 minutes. The eggs are “medium” when you shake the skillet and they wiggle slightly. If they don’t move at all, they are “well done”.
6. Serve with toasted bread.

Please note

• The cooking times of the eggs may vary depending on your stove. This takes some time of trial and error to achieve your desired outcome.
• Cook it on the stove. You will find several recipes suggesting to cook it in the oven. According to my insider, this is very unusual for Tel Aviv.
• Remember that it is supposed to come out as a tomato stew, not a sauce. If the texture is too liquid, increase the heat for a couple of minutes before you add the eggs.
• Be generous with the spices.

Avocado Toast

for 2 persons standalone / 4 persons as part of a brunch. Prep time: 25 min.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 4 slices of toast
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• juice of 1/2 Lime
• 1/2 onion, chopped (optional)
• handful cilantro leaves, chopped (optional)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• smoked paprika powder, soy sauce, salt, black pepper

Preparation

1. Open the avocado, remove the pit, dice the avocado and then mash it with a fork. Add the lime juice, chopped onion, cilantro and season with smoked paprika powder, soy sauce and pepper to your liking.
2. Heat a skillet, add the oil and fry the eggs to your liking.
3. Toast the bread, put the avocado mash on it (a teaspoon works best) and then the fried eggs (one egg for one slice of bread), enjoy!

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