This green shakshuka recipe is a marvel, maximising on seasonal winter greens such as cavolo nero (also known as black kale) and beautiful rainbow chard. The most wonderful brunch/recipe to dig with crispy flatbreads.
This recipe combines sautéed leeks, winter greens, preserved lemons, eggs, goats milk labneh (or you can use feta cheese) and za'atar (a nutty Middle Eastern spice blend). This shakshuka is truly a celebration of British ingredients, which is unsurprising given that the cavolo nero, rainbow chard and free-range organic eggs were purchased from Tend Revolution. Positioned as a farmer's market online, Tend supplies fresh, seasonal produce from independent farmers and delivers them to your door. To start browsing the quality fruit, veg, dairy and meat at the Tend market click here.
Labneh is a very thick, creamy, Middle Eastern style yogurt cheese which is made by straining thick yogurt through a cheese cloth, removing almost all the liquid until you end up with a thick Philadelphia-like cheese. I make the labneh for this dish using goats milk yogurt, which makes for a deliciously creamy and slightly sweet labneh.
Labneh itself can be used in sweet or savoury dishes, with za'atar and olive oil (as pictured) or even as a desert with honey-poached pears or nectarines. To make this recipe at home, you can also crumble feta on top (which is an equally delicious option).
To try making labneh at home, why not take a look at a recipe here. And for summery alternative, take a look at my green shaksuka recipe with wild garlic here.
INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)
30g unsalted butter
3 tbsp olive oil
150g of cavolo nero, roughly chopped
2 large leeks, trimmed and cut into ½ cm slices
1 tsp ground cumin
2 small preserved lemons, pips discarded, skin and flesh finely chopped
300ml vegetable stock
150g rainbow chard, stalks removed (save for later)
6 large eggs
90g labneh (of feta, broken into 2cm pieces)
1 spring onion, roughly chopped
1 small green chili, sliced finely
2 tbsp za'atar
1 tsp of harissa paste (optional)
salt and black pepper
flatbreads (to serve)
METHOD
Put the butter and 1 tablespoon of oil into a large sauté pan, for which you have a lid, and place on a medium high heat. Once the butter starts to foam, add the leeks, ½ teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper. Fry for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the leeks are soft. Next, add the cavolo nero (it should be chopped so each leaf is cut into 1/4s or 1/3rds) and the stalks of the rainbow chard, sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Add the cumin, preserved lemon and vegetable stock and boil rapidly for 4–5 minutes, until most of the stock has evaporated. Fold in the rainbow chard and cook for several minutes, until starting to wilt, then reduce the heat to medium.
Use a large spoon to make 6 indentations in the mixture and break one egg into each space. Sprinkle the eggs with a pinch of salt, dot the feta around the eggs, then cover the pan. Simmer for 4–5 minutes, until the egg whites are cooked but the yolks are still runny.
Mix the za’atar with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and brush over the eggs. Dot with labneh or feta and top with the spring onions, green chili, salt, pepper and harissa (if using). Serve at once, straight from the pan.
