Paprika Tomatoes with Poached Eggs (Shakshouka)

As I've said in a previous blip, Kim and I are on a diet. We've both lost about 13 pounds so far. Anyway, this is a dish we particularly like. Fills you up, is tasty and not too many points either (just 4 for the two eggs). Not the nicest looking dish but it's hard to photograph food well. At least I can't do it as well as Dolcezza can.

Time: 45 minutes.

Traditionally, cooks in Tunisia and Israel use a lot of olive oil when making this one-pan tomato and egg dinner, but this lighter version still has enough to help free the tomatoes' lycopene.

1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons hot or sweet Spanish or Hungarian paprika
About 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 large poblano chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 to 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 pounds Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
4 large eggs
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Put coriander, cumin, paprika, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a mortar and pound until
crushed; or seal in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Add garlic and pound into a paste. Set aside.

2. In a 10-in. frying pan over medium heat, cook chile in 1 tbsp. oil, stirring often, until well browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Add spice mixture and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 3/4 cup water, then tomatoes.

Cook, turning tomatoes occasionally, until softened, 10 to 20 minutes; add more water, 1/4 cup at a time, if mixture starts to get dry (you should see juices around tomatoes).

3. With a wooden spoon, make 4 depressions in tomato mixture and crack an egg into each. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until eggs are set but yolks are still runny, about 5 minutes.

4. If you like, drizzle the shakshouka with 1 tbsp. oil, then scoop onto plates and serve with crusty bread.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.

Yield: Serves 2

CALORIES 372 (29% from fat); FAT 12g (sat 4.8g); CHOLESTEROL 424mg;
CARBOHYDRATE 30g; SODIUM 598mg; PROTEIN 19g; FIBER 6.6g

Sunset, SEPTEMBER 2009