A delicious adaptation of the classic Middle Eastern breakfast dish. This chocolate shakshuka replaces the poached eggs with goat’s cheese and there’s a little dark chocolate for extra depth and flavour. It works surprisingly well.
When Ethel the Goat first came into my life and tempted me with the #capricornchallenge, I was really excited at the prospect of creating some savoury chocolate and goats cheese dishes. When the hamper arrived full of good things, including olive oil, onions, peppers, tomatoes, thyme and goat’s cheese of course, the very first thing I thought about was a chocolate version of shakshuka.
Shakshuka
Shakshuka started off life as a North African dish, which is purportedly the precursor to the Spanish Omelette. It’s a dish of onions, peppers and tomatoes topped off with poached eggs and it’s really delicious. It’s usually eaten for breakfast. Shakshuka quickly spread across the Middle East and became a part of this flavoursome cuisine.
This together with Megadarra, a Middle Eastern rice and lentil dish, is a staple in our house, especially if we have friends or family eating with us. I first had shakshuka when I was living in Egypt and immediately fell in love.
Chocolate Shakshuka
Much as I love a good classic shakshuka, however, I really wanted to try it with chocolate. Well why not? As goats cheese was the challenge ingredient, I substituted this for the eggs and thus Chocshuka was born.
We ate the chocolate shakshuka, scooping it up with ciabatta bread and it was even better than I was hoping. The chocolate adds a certain richness and depth, without turning this flavoursome, colourful and inviting dish into the vegetable equivalent of Nile mud.
Other Recipes for a Chocolate Breakfast You Might Like
- Apple & raisin pancakes with chocolate sauce
- Breakfast muffins
- Chocolate porridge
- Kefir, raw cacao & goji berry smoothie
- Nutella French toast
And for even more ideas, head over to this post for chocolate breakfast recipes to get you out of bed.
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this chocolate goat’s cheese shakshuka, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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If you’d like other recipes in my Flavours of the Middle East series, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Chocolate Goat’s Cheese Shakshuka. PIN IT.
Chocolate Shakshuka – The Recipe
Chocolate Shakshuka aka Chocshuka
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 red onion sliced thinly
- 1 large red pepper deseeded and cut into strips lengthways
- 1 large yellow pepper deseeded and cut into strips lengthways
- 1 red hot chilli pepper deseeded and finely chopped (I used lacotto)
- 300 g small ripe tomatoes halved
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme leaves only
- pinch sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 25 g dark chocolate chopped (I used 70%)
- 100 g soft goat's cheese sliced (I used Capricorn)
Instructions
- Prep the ingredients.
- Heat olive oil in a large deep frying pan and threw in the cumin seeds.1 tsp cumin seeds, 3 tbsp olive oil
- Add the onion and fry gently until soft.1 red onion
- Add the peppers to the pan and stir.1 large red pepper, 1 large yellow pepper
- Adde the chilli and tomatoes, followed by the garlic and thyme.1 red hot chilli pepper, 300 g small ripe tomatoes, 2 cloves garlic, 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- Season with a little salt and pepper and add a splash of water.pinch sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
- Stir and leave to simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Add the chocolate and stir until fully incorporated.25 g dark chocolate
- Place the goat’s cheese on top and allow to melt a little before serving.100 g soft goat's cheese
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Thanks to Capricorn for the ingredients to make a recipe. They did not expect me to write a positive review and all opinions are, as always, my own. Thank you for your support of the brands and organisations that help to keep Tin and Thyme blithe and blogging.
Rebecca Douglas says
Hi, my family is from the American South and we a special treat my mother used to make us was chocolate gravy, which was delicious served with hot home made biscuits. I have never been to a Southern funeral that doesn’t have a bowl of chocolate gravy on the dessert table. It’s interesting to see chocolate used in so many foreign recipes though I do not see it in recipes in other parts of the USA. I can’t wait to try some of yours. Many thanks for your site.
Choclette says
How interesting Rebecca. Chocolate gravy sounds like a wonderful thing to have on the dessert table. I shall look it up. Adding chocolate to savoury food is more of a Mexican thing I believe, but I’m a big fan. It adds a welcome depth of flavour to some dishes.
Chris says
That is fabulous! I just recently discovered Shakshouka and now this. Then also with goat’s cheese … what else can I say?! Great!
The KitchenMaid says
Choclette, this is so amazing on so many levels. I love shakshouka, but surely only you could think of introducing a chocolate element! I saw this post a few days ago and have been obsessively thinking about it ever since. Now I just need to be brave enough to try making it…
Choclette says
Lucy, I’ve really enjoyed finding out that other’s eat Shakshouka too. No one I’ve ever served it too has come across it before and it deserves to be better known. The chocolate really does work, it just gives it some extra richness and body which just seems to work – or so we thought anyway 😉
franglaiskitchen.com says
This really sounds wonderful. I am bookmarking this for a weekend brunch.
Choclette says
Yes Nazima, this would make a fantastic brunch. It’s really quite simple and if it’s served with really good bread, nothing else is needed.
Caroline says
Sounds really interesting. I have to admit I hadn’t really thought of adding chocolate to a med-style dish but this sounds like it would work really well!
Choclette says
It worked as well as I’d hoped it would C, which is to say, very well 😉
The Caked Crusader says
Oh yum – I can’t even read the words ‘goats cheese’ without salivating – I love the stuff!
Choclette says
You and me both CC. I remember the first time I ever had Goat’s cheese, a time in the dim and distant past, when I thought it was very odd stuff, but now it is a different story all together.
celia says
What an interesting use of chocolate! I’ve tried a little in savoury dishes, but always 100% unsweetened – good to know the 70% works well too!
Choclette says
Celia, I’d prefer to use 100% unsweetened, but it’s hard to get hold of and very expensive. I do often use 85%, but 70% is fine as it doesn’t have that much sugar in it.
rita cooks italian says
I’ve tried the original recipe with eggs (I LOVE it), now I feel inspired to substitute the eggs with goat cheese and add chocolate…I believe that the result would be rich and creamy. Well done, this is very creative
Choclette says
Thank you Rita, Chakshuka is so delicious. This version makes for a very interesting alternative though, so do let me know how you get on if you do make it.
Fishfingers for tea says
This sounds really interesting! I’m going to have to give it a go. Also, I think if mu mum sees this she may be knocking at your door, megadarra is one of her favourite things.
Choclette says
Ooh, how exciting, another megadarra fan – it might just be me knocking at your mum’s door! Let me know how you get on if you do make it.
mylittleitaliankitchen says
this is very original! I love goats cheese too and your omelette looks very inviting!
Choclette says
Thank you Alida, I expect you have something quite similar in Italy.
Chele says
Wow – I must have been living under a rock as I’ve never come across the original version. I applude your bold use of chocolate too ;0)
Choclette says
Oh do try it Chele, an original version, it’s truly delicious.
debby says
ooh unusual…I love goats cheese omelette but this sounds amazing.
Happy weekend.
debx
Choclette says
Debby, I don’t think I’ve ever tried goats cheese omelette – an omission that must soon be rectified.
belleau kitchen says
C, this is AMAZING… you deserve a win with this one, how innovative and delicious… and so elegant. I can imagine the chocolate would make this so lovely and rich… I MUST give this a go.
Choclette says
Thanks Dom, here’s hoping!!!
manu says
I’ve got red peppers in my fridge so I can give it a go!!!
Have a great day!
Choclette says
Hope you like it manu. Let me know what you think.