Shakshuka! oh yeah!!! Inter-cultural dialogue through food and art are the best!
Making Shakshuka in the Airstream this week, which i used to eat daily when living in Jerusalem! I love cooking in small spaces but making big hearted inter-national dishes, which remind me of people and places!

Cast iron delight, this one, and makes everyone happy! Simple, flavorful and brings the middles east and northern africa into your home, or wherever you call shelter.

There are versions I’ve had in portugal, and spain and even in Poland once, but this one is typical of Jerusalem! Even the smells take me there! This dish helps me integrate all the places I’ve lived. Food, like art, can help with integration!

Plus, its just fun saying Shakshuka! Northern African (Tunisia, Morocco brought by immigrants but became indigenous!) brought to Israel dish, which is sort of synonymous with breakfast in Israel. I used to eat it daily when living there.
(That, and the little sweet noodle pies they make, sort of a sweet shepherd pie dish(nice at night when colder)—yum.

And one good way to prepare for a trip is to try making food from where you are going. Tunes your soul in to a place, and let’s you know which spices you don’t normally use in your own culture! Culture is revealed in food, as they say! And ingested best that way! I have a whole cookbook on cooking classic belgian dishes using only monastic beers.

Shakshuka is the huevos rancheros (our local synonym for breakfast from Mexico via Spain!) of Israel, the english breakfast of england-nice to bring it home! I made some last night just to get in a Jerusalem mood for an uncommon return to her this year! Wow! Paprika, cumin, cayenne, bit of cinnamon song—Texas and Mexico meets the middle east!

We have a recently arrived Lebanese family down the street, who I have befriended; when i get decent at this recipe, i’ll invite them down! I’m thinking a bit more cinnamon or even nutmeg (the only spice which is two!) would help it come fully into the conversation!

Food is about facilitation of conversation between available ingredients and cultures! We have many friends from south america here, and now starting to have some from the middle east! Nice to collaborate culinarily.

This particular dish, hearthy, colorful, flavorful, and alive food! Bit like an italian frittata, but less french quiche-more mediterranean (fresh veggies and chillies!)! Happy colors as well! And pretty easy to make. Loved it. And my wife did too! Looking forward to more middle eastern food this year in person!
As the planet grows smaller, let’s share recipes for food and life! So much to learn from one another—a year of culinary and spiritual unification! People unite through food, care and eating together!

Anyway, cooking advice on this one, as Jesus said to the teachers of the law—don’t be sparing with your cumin (Mathew 23)! Ok, his advice was deeper about not swallowing camels etc, but in this dish, be generous with the cumin and paprika and everyone will be happier! And it needed some nice northern Israeli wine with it, but worked it with a Sauvignon blanc from New Zealand, which made it nearly as happy!