Our other adores Italian food. She has a classic Italian-American grandmother who cooks traditional Italian dishes. And, when feeling nostalgic or craving comfort food, our other often replicates those meals. You won’t hear us complain. First, we’re highly genial gentlemen. We rarely whine. Second, and more importantly, the food tastes delicious. She’s got skills. Actually, skillz. With a “Z.”

Lately, our other has mastered what she calls Eggs in Purgatory, or shakshuka. We’d never heard of it. So, we asked, “Where’s this from?” She credited Italians—as she usually does. But, the internet, which I love less but trust more, disagrees. It describes shakshuka as a staple of Middle Eastern cruise, which is popular in Morocco, Egypt, and Israel.

We need not quibble with which culture to credit. We embrace all foods. Our kitchen is a true melting pot. And, hey, we Americanized it by using turkey sausage. The turkey, that’s an American bird. North American.

Eggs in Purgatory with Turkey Sausage

Ingredients

• One yellow onion, diced
• One bell pepper, roughly chopped
• Three cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• One pound of Italian sausage (turkey)
• One teaspoon of cumin
• One teaspoon of sweet paprika
• One teaspoon of oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of feta
• One tablespoon of fresh basil, roughly chopped
• 4-5 eggs

Directions

Brown turkey sausage, and set aside. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet. Sauté onions and bell pepper until onion becomes translucent. Add garlic and sauté until it becomes fragrant. Mix in browned turkey sausage, crushed tomatoes, cumin, paprika, oregano, red pepper, cayenne, salt and pepper. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes or until sauce thickens. Stir in feta and basil. Create pockets on surface to hold eggs. Crack one egg into each pocket. Transfer skillet into oven preheated at 375°F. Bake until egg whites set but egg remains runny—8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Scoop into bowls while carefully preserving the intact egg. Serve with toasted bread.