Traditional Christmas Eve dinner at our house is an Oyster stew with bread or oyster crackers and my one grandmother’s bacon asparagus side. Though really it’s more of an oyster chowder because there is potatoes, and corn in it. For you oyster lovers, they shuck the oysters, and drain any liquids into a broth, add the potatoes and corn and let it simmer, then add milk and let simmer a bit more, adding a little oyster nectar if need be, then at the last minute before serving, lay in the whole oysters so they just barely get cooked, more like lightly heated, and served. Needless to say, to a vegan this is a nightmare scenario. Virtually raw shellfish in liquid, that looks like giant things you’ve hacked up. Plus while you may be going, ohhhh asparagus with a light smokey flavor of bacon to go with the oysters would be lovely, and light crunchy crust bread to dip in the liquid. That sounds like heaven.
NO.
So I’ll be having my vegan Shakshuka. I realize there is virtually nothing animalwise in Shakshuka. There are eggs though. Vegan eggs do not work well in it so I substitute tofu. I pair it with jasmine rice, it’s delicious ladled over it, with some grilled eggplant on the side, seasoned with a bit of garlic.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.
KAYLA’S SHAKSHUKA
INGREDIENTS:
1 Tbsp. extra virgin light olive oil.
½ Large onion, peeled and diced.
2 Cloves minced garlic
1 Red (or yellow) bell pepper seeded and diced.
4 Cups ripe tomatoes, (once more I use Romas, they are the best for cooking down).
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp paprika
1 – 2 tsp cayenne pepper (or crushed red pepper flakes, this determines heat so be careful, my amounts make it kind of spicy. Start with ½ tsp and go from there.)
Fresh ground sea salt & black pepper to taste.
12 – 18 1”x1”x1” tofu cubes. (This replaces the 6 or so large eggs you’d normally see in this recipe.)
Chopped parsley and cilantro for garnish or to mix in. I like to mix in 1 tbsp of each, it livens it up with a fresh bite, sometimes I add a squeeze or two of fresh lemon/lime juice to help also.
I make mine in my cast iron skillet but any large skillet or sauté pan on medium heat will do.
Heat the warm olive oil slowly.
Add the chopped onion and sauté it until the onion softens, then add the garlic and sauté until you can smell them both. This is called sautéing until fragrant.
Add the diced bell pepper and sauté for 5 to 7 min until soft.
Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, stir until blended.
Add the spices and let simmer for 5 to 7 minutes or until it starts to reduce.
This is when you can play with the spices so if you started off with smaller amounts, here is where you can increase things to your taste. This is also where you add the salt and pepper.
You have two choices now.
- Add the Tofu and let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Take the sauce off and save. At this point, I like to put it through a processor to smooth the sauce a bit, but not too smooth. That way if I add tofu, or say jasmine rice with it later, those textures come through better.
- The Sauce will keep in the fridge in a sealed jar for about 3 weeks, frozen for 3 to 5 months.
When the sauce has simmered, the spices grown in flavor, and infused the tofu, you can mix in the cilantro and parsley or garnish with it on top.
**Note** Keep an eye on it while simmering to make sure it does not reduce down too much or it will burn.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!
