I learnt the following three things on my second Whole30 diet:
- Apple slices spread with almond butter are a surprisingly delicious snack
- Cooking anything in clarified butter (ghee) makes it taste amazing
- There’s only so many eggs you can eat before you never want to see one again
In attempting to fix number 3 on the list – major egg fatigue! – I decided to have a go at a green shakshuka.
Now, I’ve made shakshuka plenty of times before (including this one, and this delicious aubergine version) and it’s always had a tomato-based sauce. But I’ve come across the concept of ‘green shakshuka’, so I did a little research. By which I mean, I browsed Pinterest and looked at recipes for green shakshuka.
There seems to be no consensus as to what goes into the sauce, as long as it’s green. Some were spinach based, others had broccoli, asparagus, peas, and all manner of vegetables in there. The seasoning also seemed to be very much ‘whatever you fancy’. On this basis, I decided to throw caution to the wind and get cooking.
This was a lunch, just for me, as DH was at work and Kipper at school. One of the great advantages of shakshuka is that it’s easy to scale – you can make a single serving just as easily as a giant panful. But since it was quite experimental, I was glad that DH and Kipper weren’t there to have opinions. Just in case.
I needn’t have worried. This green shakshuka turned out delicious! In a nod to the herbs and spices in the many, many tomato-based shakshukas I’ve made over the years, I added a little cumin and sprinkled over some mint and coriander (cilantro) to give a hint of the Middle East. It smelled incredible, and I had to use all my self-restraint not to just pile in, but to stop and take a few photos first!
This green shakshuka totally cured my Whole30 induced egg-boredom – I scoffed the lot!
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- 1 very small onion or shallot
- 1 stick celery
- 1 small/medium courgette (zucchini)
- 1-2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) or olive oil
- 0.5 tsp ground cumin
- Pinch salt
- Pinch black pepper
- 2 good handfuls washed baby spinach
- Squeeze of lemon (approx. 1 tbsp lemon juice) or to taste
- 1 egg
- Chopped mint, parsley and coriander (cilantro) - optional
- Peel and dice the onion. Trim the celery and cut into small pieces. Cut the ends from the courgette and chop in 1cm (half inch) chunks.
- Heat the ghee or oil in a small skillet or frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes until softened.
- Add the courgette, cumin, salt and pepper, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally for another 5 minutes until all the vegetables are soft.
- Add the spinach a handful at a time, allow to wilt and stir in. Squeeze over the lemon.
- Break the egg into a glass. Make an indentation in the centre of the vegetable mixture and carefully tip the egg into it. Lower the heat and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the egg is set to your liking (I like runny yolks!).
- Remove from the heat, sprinkle over the chopped herbs, and serve immediately.
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Sounds great!thanx for the idea!