Chocshuka (aka Chocolate Shakshuka)
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 is 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 is really delicious. 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 it when I was living in Egypt and immediately fell in love. Much as I love it, however, I had never had it with chocolate before – well why not? As goats cheese was the challenge ingredient, I substituted this for the eggs and thus Chocshuka was born.
We ate the shakshuka, scooping it up with ciabatta bread and it was even better than I was hoping. The chocolate added a certain richness and depth, without turning this flavoursome, colourful and inviting dish into the vegetable equivalent of Nile mud.
- 1 red onion - sliced thinly
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 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
- leaves from 3 sprigs of thyme
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 70 % dark chocolate - chopped
- 100 g soft goat's cheese - sliced (I used Capricorn)
- Prep the ingredients.
- Heat olive oil in a large deep frying pan and threw in the cumin seeds.
- Add the onion and fry gently until soft.
- Add the peppers to the pan and stir.
- Adde the chilli and tomatoes, filled by the garlic and thyme.
- Season with a little salt and pepper and add a splash of water.
- Stir and leave to simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Add 25g of chopped 70% dark chocolate and stir until fully incorporated.
- Place the goat's cheese on top and allow to melt a little before serving.
Serve with bread for a quick meal or rice for something a bit more substantial.
For a special occasion, increase the quantity and serve with megadarra.
For a classic version crack a couple of eggs over the top, five minutes before dishing up.
manu
2nd November 2012 at 11:24 amI’ve got red peppers in my fridge so I can give it a go!!!
Have a great day!
Choclette
9th November 2012 at 5:49 pmHope you like it manu. Let me know what you think.
belleau kitchen
2nd November 2012 at 11:52 amC, 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
9th November 2012 at 7:18 pmThanks Dom, here’s hoping!!!
debby
2nd November 2012 at 4:03 pmooh unusual…I love goats cheese omelette but this sounds amazing.
Happy weekend.
debx
Choclette
10th November 2012 at 7:34 pmDebby, I don’t think I’ve ever tried goats cheese omelette – an omission that must soon be rectified.
Chele
2nd November 2012 at 4:37 pmWow – 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
10th November 2012 at 7:35 pmOh do try it Chele, an original version, it’s truly delicious.
mylittleitaliankitchen
2nd November 2012 at 5:40 pmthis is very original! I love goats cheese too and your omelette looks very inviting!
Choclette
10th November 2012 at 7:37 pmThank you Alida, I expect you have something quite similar in Italy.
Fishfingers for tea
2nd November 2012 at 7:01 pmThis 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
10th November 2012 at 7:41 pmOoh, 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.
rita cooks italian
4th November 2012 at 1:03 amI’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
10th November 2012 at 7:44 pmThank 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.
celia
4th November 2012 at 4:17 amWhat 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
10th November 2012 at 7:52 pmCelia, 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.
The Caked Crusader
4th November 2012 at 4:37 pmOh yum – I can’t even read the words ‘goats cheese’ without salivating – I love the stuff!
Choclette
10th November 2012 at 7:57 pmYou 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.
Caroline
4th November 2012 at 6:14 pmSounds 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
10th November 2012 at 8:02 pmIt worked as well as I’d hoped it would C, which is to say, very well 😉
franglaiskitchen.com
5th November 2012 at 9:18 pmThis really sounds wonderful. I am bookmarking this for a weekend brunch.
Choclette
10th November 2012 at 8:06 pmYes 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.
The KitchenMaid
6th November 2012 at 7:20 amChoclette, 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
10th November 2012 at 8:12 pmLucy, 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 😉
Chris
15th November 2012 at 1:41 pmThat is fabulous! I just recently discovered Shakshouka and now this. Then also with goat’s cheese … what else can I say?! Great!
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