# Eggplant and Jimmy Nardello Shakshuka with Tahina, Shatta, Harissa Kraut, and Hawaij Coffee > Late-summer eggplant and sweet Jimmy Nardello peppers soften into a thick tomato sauce, with eggs nestled into the vegetables and finished with lemony tahina, red shatta, and cilantro. Harissa kraut brings a cold, sharp counterpoint, while ginger-and-cardamom coffee rounds out a warming Sunday breakfast. - URL: https://www.chezjk.com/recipes/shakshuka-with-eggplant-jimmy-nardellos-tahina-shatta-harissa-kraut-hawaj-coffee - Author: Jonathan Katzman - Cooked and photographed: 2023-09-10 - Recipe updated: 2026-10-23 - Serves: 4 servings - Tags: vegetarian, gluten-free, paleo, nut-free ![Eggplant and Jimmy Nardello Shakshuka with Tahina, Shatta, Harissa Kraut, and Hawaij Coffee](https://www.chezjk.com/api/images?path=9e5d6860-dd86-455e-b57b-e352c363fc57%2F070eebb8705c7beb.jpg) ## Eggplant and Jimmy Nardello Shakshuka Browning the eggplant before simmering gives it a creamy interior without letting it dissolve. Reducing the tomato sauce before adding the eggs keeps the finished shakshuka rich rather than watery. ### Ingredients - 1 lb eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces - 3 tbsp ghee, divided - 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced - 8 oz Jimmy Nardello peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces - 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced - 2 tbsp tomato paste - 1 tsp ground cumin - 1 tsp sweet paprika - 28 oz whole peeled tomatoes with their juices, crushed by hand - 8 large eggs - 1/3 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems - to taste kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper ### Instructions 1. Pat the eggplant dry and season lightly with salt. Heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a wide, deep 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the eggplant for 8–10 minutes, turning occasionally; work in batches if needed. Transfer to a plate. 2. Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining tablespoon ghee, onion, and peppers. Cook for 7–9 minutes, stirring, until the onion softens and the peppers begin to collapse. 3. Add the garlic, tomato paste, cumin, and paprika. Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant and the paste darkens slightly. 4. Add the tomatoes and their juices, then return the eggplant to the skillet. Simmer uncovered for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is tender and a spoon drawn through the sauce leaves a brief trail. Season with salt and pepper. 5. Make eight wells in the sauce. Crack an egg into a small cup, then slide it into each well. Cover and cook over low heat for 6–9 minutes, until the whites are opaque and fully set but the yolks still yield when gently pressed. Cook longer for firm yolks. 6. Remove from the heat promptly. Finish with cilantro and black pepper, reserving the tahina and shatta for serving. ### Notes - If the sauce becomes thick before the eggplant is tender, add water a few tablespoons at a time. - For diners who need fully cooked eggs, cook until whites and yolks are firm, or use pasteurized eggs. ## Lemony Tahina Lemon and water turn sesame paste into a spoonable sauce that tempers the chile heat and enriches the tomatoes without hiding them. ### Ingredients - 1/3 cup tahini - 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice - 1/2 small clove garlic, finely grated - 3–5 tbsp cold water - 1/4 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste ### Instructions 1. Whisk the tahini with the lemon juice, garlic, and salt. It will initially thicken. 2. Whisk in cold water a tablespoon at a time until smooth and thickly pourable. Taste and adjust the salt or lemon. 3. Let stand for 5 minutes, then loosen with another splash of water if necessary. ### Notes - Stir the tahini thoroughly in its jar before measuring so the sauce does not become oily or chalky. ## Quick Red Shatta A coarse fresh chile sauce gives concentrated heat and acidity in small spoonfuls, contrasting with the mellow eggplant and sesame. ### Ingredients - 3 oz fresh red Fresno chiles, stems removed - 1 small clove garlic - 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil - 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice - 1 tsp apple cider vinegar - 1/4 tsp fine sea salt ### Instructions 1. For moderate heat, remove the seeds and inner ribs from half the chiles. Roughly chop all the chiles. 2. Pulse the chiles, garlic, and salt in a small food processor until finely chopped but not smooth. 3. Stir in the olive oil, lemon juice, and vinegar. Let stand for 10 minutes, then taste and adjust the salt or acidity. 4. Serve in small spoonfuls over the tahina, with extra on the side. ### Notes - This is a quick fresh shatta, not a fermented or shelf-stable preserve. ## Harissa Kraut Keeping the kraut cold preserves its crunch and fermented tang. Harissa adds chile and spice without needing another cooked side. ### Ingredients - 2 cups cabbage-and-carrot sauerkraut, lightly drained - 2 tsp gluten-free harissa, preferably Zwïta, plus more to taste - 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil ### Instructions 1. Toss the kraut with the harissa and olive oil. 2. Taste before adding more harissa; the kraut should remain bright and tangy rather than taste mostly of chile paste. 3. Serve cool in a separate dish. ### Notes - Do not rinse the kraut. If it is very briny, drain it more thoroughly before dressing. ## Coffee with Hawaij The coffee version of hawaij leans on ginger and cardamom, with small amounts of warm sweet spices. It perfumes the coffee without requiring milk or sweetener. ### Ingredients - 1/2 tsp ground ginger - 1/2 tsp ground cardamom - 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon - 1 small pinch ground cloves - 60 g coarsely ground coffee - 1 liter water, just off the boil ### Instructions 1. Mix the ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves to make the coffee hawaij. 2. Warm a 1-liter French press, discard the warming water, and add the coffee and spice blend. 3. Pour in the hot water, stir gently, and steep for 4 minutes. Plunge slowly and pour all the coffee into cups or a warmed carafe so it does not continue extracting. ### Notes - Use coffee hawaij rather than the savory cumin-and-turmeric blend sold for soups. Reduce the spice blend by half for a subtler cup. ## Overall Timing / Workflow The sauces and cold side fit into the tomato simmer, leaving only the eggs and coffee to finish at the last moment. ### Instructions 1. 0:00 — Cut the vegetables and prepare the shakshuka ingredients. 2. 0:15 — Brown the eggplant, then soften the onion and peppers and build the tomato sauce. 3. 0:30 — While the sauce simmers, make the tahina and shatta, dress the kraut, and measure the coffee spices. 4. 0:45 — Check that the eggplant is tender and the sauce is thick. Add the eggs and cover. 5. 0:48 — Heat the coffee water and brew the coffee as the eggs finish. 6. 0:55 — Finish the shakshuka with herbs, tahina, and shatta, and serve immediately with the kraut and coffee. ## Plating Broad, shallow bowls keep the eggs supported by the thick sauce and leave room for distinct spoonfuls of tahina and shatta. ### Instructions 1. Spoon the eggplant and pepper sauce into four warm shallow bowls, lifting two eggs carefully into each bowl. 2. Add a generous spoonful of tahina slightly to one side and a smaller spoonful of shatta over it. 3. Scatter the cilantro and black pepper across the eggs. Serve the harissa kraut separately and pour the coffee just before eating. ## Leftover Path The tomato-eggplant base reheats well, while fresh eggs restore the texture of the original meal. Keeping the cold condiments separate preserves their freshness. ### Instructions 1. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. Store the shakshuka, tahina, shatta, and dressed kraut in separate covered containers. 2. Use cooked shakshuka within 3 days. Reheat gently with a splash of water until it reaches 165°F; already-cooked yolks will firm up. 3. If saving some tomato-eggplant base before adding eggs, refrigerate it for up to 4 days. Reheat until bubbling, make fresh wells, and cook new eggs in the sauce. 4. Use the tahina, fresh shatta, and dressed kraut within 4 days. Stir water into chilled tahina to restore its spoonable texture. 5. Refrigerate leftover brewed coffee for up to 2 days and serve over ice. --- From ChezJK (https://www.chezjk.com), Jonathan Katzman's public home-cooking archive: every meal he has photographed, written up as a recipe you can cook.