Spring is here and the verdant world around us is a reminder of the classic mother’s admonition, “Eat your veggies!” Green vegetables are fundamental to a healthy diet and provide a multitude of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that help keep our bodies strong and our hearts ticking.
This week’s recipe for Braised Eggs with Leeks and Za’atar is a springtime twist on a Middle Eastern standard. It was sent to CCSA as part of a series of emails from our resident chef, Dr. Linda Doody. She has been sharing her extensive collection of favorite recipes with friends, family, and the CCSA team as a means of maintaining connections during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.”
–Luciano Pavarotti
Braised Eggs with Leeks and Za’atar
Braised Eggs with Leeks and Za’atar Simple, Yotam Ottolenghi (2018)
Quick Preserved Lemon Bon Appetit (September 2010)
Traditional Preserved Lemon Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco, Paula Wolfert (1973)
Notes
Shakshuka (meaning “mixture” or “shaken”) originally came from North Africa, perhaps Tunisia or Yemen, but it is quite popular across the Middle East. It is traditionally a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onion, and garlic, and commonly spiced with cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Preserved lemon, mild salty sheep’s cheese, olives, harissa, or a spicy sausage such as chorizo or merguez may also be added. This recipe is essentially for a green shakshuka, in which leafy greens and leeks have been substituted for the tomatoes, peppers, and onions.
Za’atar spice is commonly used with tomatoes, feta, eggs, vegetables, rice, meats, labneh, and pita.
This dish can be eaten for breakfast, brunch, lunch or a light supper with crusty bread and a glass of wine. It is great served with asparagus or artichokes.
Ingredients
- 30 g unsalted butter (~2 Tbsp)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 large leeks (or 4 smaller), trimmed and cut into ½-cm slices (530 g)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
- 2 small preserved lemons, seeds discarded, skin and flesh finely chopped (30 g) (the cookbook does not provide a recipe for preserved lemons. Two from other sources are provided below)
- 300 mL vegetable stock
- 200 g baby spinach leaves (Swiss chard or kale can be substituted for part or all of the spinach)
- 6 large eggs
- 90 g feta, broken into 2-cm pieces
- 1 Tbsp za’atar spice (even though it varies greatly depending on where you are in the Middle East, za'atar (or zahtar) spice is generally a combination of dried oregano, thyme, and/or marjoram (woodsy and floral, from the genus Origanum), with sumac (tangy and acidic) and toasted sesame seeds (nutty and rich). It may also contain salt, dried orange zest, dried dill or savory, cumin, coriander or fennel seed, or the culinary herb za'atar (Origanum syriacum) which gives the spice mixture its name)
- Salt and black pepper
- Quick Preserved Lemon
- 1 large lemon, cut crosswise into ¼ inch thick rounds
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp coarse salt
- Traditional Preserved Lemon
- 5 lemons
- ¼ cup salt
Instructions
- Put the butter and 1 tablespoon of the oil into a large sauté pan with a lid, and place on medium high heat. Once the butter starts to foam, add the leeks, ½ teaspoon salt, and plenty of pepper. Fry for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the leeks are soft. Add the cumin, lemon, and vegetable stock and boil rapidly for 4–5 minutes, until most of the stock has evaporated. Fold in the spinach and cook for a minute, until wilted, then reduce the heat to medium.
- Use a large spoon to make 6 indentations in the vegetable mixture and break 1 egg into each space. Sprinkle the eggs with a pinch of salt and dot the feta around the eggs, then cover the pan. Simmer for 4–5 minutes, or until the egg whites are cooked but the yolks are still runny.
- Mix the za’atar with the remaining tablespoon of oil and brush it over the eggs. (Note: The za’atar can just be sprinkled over the dish instead.) Serve at once straight from the pan.
- Quick Preserved Lemon
- Combine all ingredients in small skillet. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve salt. Cover; reduce heat to low. Simmer until lemon slices are almost tender (peel will look translucent), about 10 minutes. Cool; chill. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Traditional Preserved Lemon
- Quarter the lemons from top to within ½ inch of the bottom. Sprinkle salt on the exposed flesh, then reshape the fruit. Place 1 Tbsp salt in the bottom of a sterilized pint mason jar. Pack in lemons, pressing down to release juice, and adding more salt between each. If not enough juice is released, add freshly squeezed juice. Leave some air space before sealing. Let lemons ripen in a warm place, turning the jar upside down each day to distribute salt and juice. Let ripen 30 days.
- To use, rinse the lemons as needed under running water, removing and discarding pulp if desired. No need to refrigerate. Can be stored up to 1 year, and the pickling juice can be re-used two or three times during that period.