Shakshuka; A Love Story

And everything I learned along the way

So yesterday, I made my very first Shakshuka; and it weirdly taught me a few things about myself. Like, I never knew how much I valued family and connection until I caught myself staring at my best friend in awe as he very slowly poured tomato juice into the pot — he was worried that it would splash everywhere. There was something so calming and wholesome about the image that I thought to myself, “this is what happiness should feel like.” And it was also then that I made a silent promise to fill up more of my time with love, people, and most importantly food. Because those are the things that matter most to me.

I spent a lot of my life doing things that others wanted me to do because I had no confidence in my ability to make the right choices for myself. But now, at the young age of 22, I’m learning to define what my core values are and what success and happiness look like to me, and that’s been a game changer. The hardest part though is not only accepting that everyone’s definition of success is different but to have the courage and confidence in yourself to pursue the life that feels right for you. And it’s okay if that’s just eating a nice warm bowl of Shakshuka with the people that you love.

I found that understanding my values has given me more clarity and confidence in my decisions. It’s easier for me to reject and accept things that come into my life because I understand the kind of person that I am and the kind of life that I want to lead. And although I didn’t learn all of this from making a pot of Shakshuka, the shared experience of making this dish with the people that I love reassured the thing that I was already feeling. That it’s okay to want to lead a simple life filled with love, laughter, and most importantly food.

I got carried away there for a minute, but anyways! The process of making Shakshuka is pretty simple and quick too if I do say so myself. First, you chop up your vegetables and cook them in olive oil — or whatever oil you have — then after a couple of minutes, you throw in your spices and cook it on medium to low heat for 1–2 minutes. After that, you throw in your whole tomatoes and tomato juice, season to taste, add in the eggs, and presto! You’re done! Easy right? Wrong. Well, not wrong it actually is quite easy, but if you’re like me and are prone to disasters, you find a way to make something go wrong.

1) I added in a bit too much salt and had to water it down to even out the taste not fun, but it worked, and it came out deliciously!

2) I overcooked the eggs! Instead of sunny side up, I got fully cooked eggs which were unfortunate but again, still absolutely delicious. See that’s another thing that I learned! Read the damn directions and follow them to a tee.

I read somewhere that Shakshuka is a great comfort meal, and after trying it out myself, I can’t say that I disagree. The middle eastern flavors and the tomato juice come together nicely to create a light and savory meal; that you can honestly eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And since I have leftovers, that’s exactly what I’ll be doing!

On another note, I’m thinking of starting this thing where every Friday, I will select and prepare a main dish followed by a lovely dessert as a way to reward myself for a “week well done.” I think that It’ll be a fun way to treat myself, and it will also give me something to look forward to other than work and sleep. Which has honestly been all I’ve been doing lately, and I refuse to spend more of my time drowning in sadness.

P.S. I saw a great recipe for Shakshuka with yogurt instead of eggs, and although I’m not a huge fan of yogurt, I feel inclined to try it out, so maybe I’ll write about that soon.

I hope that you all have a lovely week and I’ll talk to you hopefully next Friday!