Green Tomato Shakshuka

January 22, 2025

“Eggs in Purgatory” with green tomatoes or tomatillos.

Ingredients

½ plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed

4 shallots, thinly sliced

7 cloves garlic, diced

2 poblano chiles, thinly sliced

2 long hot chiles (or 1 small green bell pepper for milder tastes), thinly sliced

7 small Arabic squash (a type of bulbous, green-striped summer squash) or 2 large zucchini, cut into ½-inch-thick slices

6 large or 10 small tomatillos, husks removed (or 4 large green tomatoes), washed and cut into ½-inch-thick slices

2 medium yellow tomatoes, cut in ½-inch-thick slices, or 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon Hot Pepper Paste

Juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 large eggs

Grated halloumi cheese, for serving (optional)

Preparation

“At the summer’s end, I’m always left with big, green tomatoes in my garden that haven’t fully ripened. One time, I thought to make shakshuka—otherwise known as ‘eggs in purgatory’—with them. They lent the dish a vibrant, lemony flavor that I just adored.

Of course, one can’t find green tomatoes year-round. So I thought, why not use tart tomatillos instead? They ended up tasting even better than the green tomatoes, and I’ve never gone back.” — Rawia Bishara

Used with permission from Levant: New Middle Eastern Cooking from Tanoreen by Rawia Bishara, photos by Con Poulos, published by Kyle Books.

Makes 4 to 8 servings

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large, nonstick ovenproof skillet, heat ¼ cup of the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for about 5 minutes, until starting to soften.  

Add the garlic, poblanos, long hots, and squash and cook until just tender, about 8 minutes. Remove to a plate.

Add 2 tablespoons of the oil to the pan and add half of the tomatillos. Do not stir. Cook until the tomatillos just begin to color on one side, about 3 minutes, then flip them. When the second side begins to color, about 3 minutes more, remove the tomatillos to a plate. Repeat with the remaining tomatillos, adding more oil to the pan if it looks dry. Leave the second batch of tomatillos in the pan. Top with the reserved squash mixture, followed by the reserved tomatillos and the yellow tomatoes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, hot pepper paste, lemon juice, cumin, salt, and black pepper and spread the mixture evenly over the vegetables. Cover the skillet and cook over low heat for 5 to 8 minutes, until all the ingredients have softened. If the mixture starts looking dry, add up to ½ cup water.

Uncover the skillet and evenly drizzle the remaining ¼ cup oil over the vegetables. Using a spoon, make shallow indentations in the mixture, and carefully crack the eggs over the top.

Place the skillet (uncovered) in the oven and bake until the whites are set and the yellows are cooked to your liking, 5 to 8 minutes for runny or 10 to 12 minutes for firm.

Sprinkle the top with grated cheese, if using. Switch on the broiler and place under the broiler until just melted. Bring to the table and serve immediately, straight from the pan.