The Beets
This recipe calls for the best bunch of beets you can find. You want the roots, the leaves and even the stems to be substantial. In North Carolina, the first beets of the spring season are the ones that fit the bill. To give some perspective, the bunch of four beets you see in the photos below had these weights: Beet roots – 12.8 oz, Stems – 9.6 oz, and Leaves – 10.6 oz.
But what if you get a hankering for this dish when you can only find stored beet roots at the market? A trick is to replace the beet stems and greens with Swiss chard! Beets and Swiss chard are actually cultivars of the same species, so the chard makes a good substitute for beet greens.
Why Did I Think this Dish Would Work?
I first made Green Shakshuka in the spring of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down our social lives and we had three young adults sheltering in place with us. Snap Pea, known for their hyper-local pop up dinner events, pivoted to providing cooking classes via Zoom using ingredient baskets from South Wind Produce. I purchased a class, and had those three young adults do the hands on work, following along with the zoom instruction. Green shakshuka was the main course. Honestly, I was skeptical. Traditional shakshuka is a tomato based dish. I had never heard of replacing the tomatoes with greens. I still don’t believe green shakshuka is a thing in Tunisia, where traditional shakshuka is believed to originate. Whether green shakshuka is authentic or not, I certainly found it to be tasty!
So, that gave me confidence in the idea of green shakshuka. I’ve also always been confident in root to leaf beet dishes. Finally, I considered the other flavor pairings: Beets and cumin? Sure! Beets and feta? Absolutely. Beets and avocados? More please! Beets and most any herb (basil, mint, parsley, dill, arugula, carrot tops…)? Sweet dirt and herbs! So, yeah, all of these flavors… They’re gonna work just fine together.
Cooking the Eggs
The preparation of eggs in shakshuka is a cross between poaching and sunny side up. The eggs are nestled in pockets of either a savory tomato sauce (traditional shakshuka) or amongst cooked greens (green shakshuka). So it’s like poaching from the bottom and sides, but not from the top. Using indirect heat for the top is a lot like sunny side up eggs.
Shakshuka recipes generally prescribe one of two ways to cook the eggs with indirect heat. Either the pan gets tossed into a preheated oven, or a tight fitting lid is placed over the pan while the pan is heating on the stovetop. I generally prefer the results of using the oven, but totally understand the convenience of completing the entire dish on the stovetop. This particular recipe starts with roasting the beet root in the oven, so it seems like a no-brainer to use the already pre-heated oven to finish the eggs.
Just like sunny side up eggs, the challenge is to cook the white all of the way through while leaving the yolk oozy and decadent. Cutting into the egg yolk and having its creamy, rich goodness spread across the dish is usually the goal. Of course, some people prefer a jammy yolk or even a hard yolk. You do you. If you want that creamy yolk, it takes precision, but it isn’t hard. You need to pull the dish out of the oven when the egg whites still have a tiny amount of “jiggle.” If the whites are fully firm, the yolk is going to be at least partially jammy. The secret is to check early, and check often. I start checking when I know it’s too early, and then use the timer on the microwave to check every single minute. It may end up being 5 or 6 minutes of babysitting, but it’s worth it!
The Herbs
A generous amount of herbs provide the final flavor component. The herbs can vary based on what you like and what is in season. Another option is to garnish with a generous amount of an herb pesto. I always have a few versions of pesto in the freezer, mainly as the base layer for pizza. In the walkthrough below I used an arugula pesto to finish the shakshuka. About a cup of freshly chopped, loosely packed herbs or a quarter cup of pesto is about right. Basil, parsley, dill, arugula, carrot tops, mint – any of these in any combination can be used.
Root to Leaf Beet Shakshuka
Equipment
- Large, oven proof saute pan
Ingredients
- 1 bunch beets with substantial greens see note
- 1 medium onion 6-8 ounces, diced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 oz crumbled feta cheese
- Fresh herbs or prepared pesto see note
- 1 avocado diced
- salt
- black pepper
- olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Clean the beet roots and dice them into 1/2" pieces. Toss them with the cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and about a tablespoon of olive oil. Spread on a baking sheet and move to the oven to roast.
- Separate the beet stems from the leaves. Rinse the beet stems and dice them up. Also dice up a medium onion.
- Add the diced beet stems and onion to a large sauté pan, and mix in a couple tablespoons of olive oil, a teaspoon of salt, and the coriander and red pepper flakes. Sauté them on medium-high heat until the mixture is soft and the onions are translucent. Expect about 10 minutes.
- While the mixture sautés, prepare the greens. Roll stacks of greens and slice into 1/2" strips. Fill a salad spinner with water, put the sliced greens in the salad spinner basket and immerse in the water. Agitate, so any grit sinks to the bottom of the bowl. Remove the basket from the water and dump the water.
- When the stems and onions are properly sautéed, add the beet greens to the pan in two or three batches. Add the next batch as the previous batch wilts and makes room.
- Remove the roasted beet roots from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 375°F.
- Spread the beet root and the crumbled feta over the sautéed onions, stems and greens. Then carefully arrange the eggs around the pan, cracking one at a time. Season the eggs with a sprinkle of salt and black pepper.
- Place the pan in the 375°F oven and bake. The time required varies with the oven properties and how you like the eggs, but expect around 8-12 minutes. Start checking at 8 minutes. For creamy yolks, you need to remove the pan while there is still a little jiggle in the egg whites. Check once a minute until the eggs are ready.
- Finish by spreading the fresh herbs or pesto over the dish, along with the diced avocado.
Notes
- The bunch of beets should weigh about 1.5-2 pounds, with half of the weight being the greens and stems. 12 oz of beet roots and 12 ounces of Swiss chard can substitute.
- There should be a generous amount of herbs, and the herbs can vary based on what you like and what is in season. About a cup of freshly chopped, loosely packed herbs or a quarter cup of pesto is about right. Basil, parsley, dill, arugula, carrot tops, mint - any of these in any combination can be used.
