The North African region, positioned as it is along the Mediterranean, is one of the oldest centers of civilization with recipes passed down for generations. Immigrants, traders, and invading armies have all had an influence on North African food culture. The Turks, Arabs, Phoenicians and Berbers have all also contributed greatly to the flavors and recipes of modern North Africa.

North African cuisine is a fusion of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern traditions with strong Berber and Ottoman Turkish influence. In light of that, we'll take on a famous traditional North African dish, a meal-in-one casserole in the form of Marrakesh Shakshuka (Poached Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce). This is a rich, delicious casserole of eggs, whole and crushed tomatoes, parsley, garlic, onions, chilies and bell peppers. Basically, there’s nothing about this dish that isn’t healthy! Now, whole eggs used to have a bad reputation since they are quite high in cholesterol, however, over the last ten years it has become clear that blood-cholesterol levels are virtually unaffected by dietary intake of cholesterol. Ok then but what about the fat content since each egg has about 5g total fat, 2g of saturated fat. Again, this is where modern nutritional science is continuing to evolve. It turns out that, other than Trans-Fats, which are an artificial invention of humans created by partially hydrogenating natural fats, saturated fats in general do not appear to have a negative impact on overall health. Current research combined a systematic review and meta-analysis, combing through all observational studies published in medical journals about the effects of these two fats on death, diabetes, and forms of heart disease, including thousands of participants’ data. Researchers confirmed that Trans Fat is indeed detrimental. Intake was associated with a 34 percent greater risk of all-cause mortality, a 28 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease mortality, and a 21 percent higher risk of developing heart disease in general. However, the scientists didn’t see a clear link between saturated fat and increased risk of mortality, coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, ischemic stroke or type-2 diabetes. What’s next then? Well, the bottom line is, saturated fat still has calories, while unsaturated fats such as those found in olive oil, canola oil and avocados, those fats actually have direct evidence to show that consumption of them actually reduces the overall risk of mortality. So what this means for eggs is that they are an entirely healthy part of your diet, when eaten in moderation. They still have a fairly high number of calories per ounce, and they don’t contain many of the “good” unsaturated fats. But this dish is more than just eggs, it’s a powerful health cocktail with tomatoes that are full of Lycopene, onions and garlic with cardio-protective benefits and bell-peppers packed with phytochemicals and carotenoids which fill you with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Onward to cooking our magical Marrakesh Shakshuka (Poached Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce):

Marrakesh Shakshuka (Poached Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce):

Ingredients:

6 eggs
1 28-ounce can of organic whole peeled tomatoes with liquid
24 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 medium green and/or yellow bell pepper, sliced and chopped
1 bunch scallions, sliced, white and green parts
5 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
5 Anaheim chilies or 3 red chilies, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
2 TBSP tomato paste
1 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp organic sea salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
2 TBSP fresh chopped parsley
Cherry tomatoes and parsley for garnish

Preparation:

• If you have access to small, individual cast-iron skillets, you can prepare the Shakshuka that way, as individual dishes. If you do that, prepare the tomato sauce completely first in its own pan, pour into the skillets, then add 1 egg to each and bake until set.
• Otherwise, use a 12-inch skillet (preferably cast iron) and heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add chilies, bell pepper and onions and cook until soft, about 5 - 8 minutes.
• Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes. Pour un-drained tomatoes into a medium bowl and crush with a potato masher. Add crushed tomatoes with liquid and tomato paste to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes.
• Add scallions, cayenne, quartered cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper and stir. Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are set, about 5 minutes.
• Gently drizzle the tomato mixture over some of the egg whites without disturbing the yolk. Sprinkle Shakshuka with feta and parsley. Garnish with cherry tomatoes and parsley sprigs. Serve hot.