Moroccan Breakfast for Lunch

I was very excited for Moroccan food because it seems to be one of the more well-known cuisines of Africa, yet I've never even tried it. I knew before researching the country that Moroccan food is often bursting with flavors from spices and full of flavor - that was the rumor anyways. Morocco actually reminds me a little of Arizona geography wise because it spans from Mountain ranges to the Sahara desert, not to mention to the Atlantic ocean. I saw photos of beaches, deserts, and even snow-covered trees! The contrast from Tucson to Flagstaff can be said to be very similar. The cuisine in Morocco is a little like the geography - quite diverse. It has been influenced by the Mediterranean, Western European countries like Spain and Portugal, and the Middle East. All of these cuisines come together in a medley of bright colors and flavorful dishes.

I was immediately drawn to Chakchouka which is more of a breakfast or brunch dish and since I hadn't done one of those I of course haven't had anything aside from oatmeal since this challenge began to eat in the mornings and jumped at the opportunity to cook eggs. Basically I've realized during this challenge that this is the longest I have gone without eating Italian, Mexican, and breakfast dishes and I am suffering from severe withdrawals! Chakchouka uses mainly paprika with a chili powder to spice things up and the eggs are cooked in little "holes" that you form in all the veggies so they come out a little like poached eggs. I like poached eggs, I love bell peppers, and I love breakfast - this was my kind of late lunch. Perfect after spending four hours in the lab!

Chakchouka can be eaten with crusty bread or pia, but I had tortillas so that was what I had mine with. I am definitely a fan of this one and I could see myself adding a little ground turkey to the vegetables, but it is equally delicious without. One thing I liked about this recipe, it allowed me to use the paprika that is sitting in my spice collection which I don't use for anything. Yes! Finally a use for one of my neglected spices that I bought for a meal ages ago and haven't touched since! I also liked the slight spiciness of the chili powder which is toned down considerably by the tomatoes. My eggs also cooked perfectly, which surprised me since I thought they would become rubbery and overdone. Delish. Moroccan food is definitely a cuisine I could jump on board with, I will have to add this to my ever growing list of countries I want to cook more dishes from.

In all the photos I saw of Chakchouka they peel back the egg whites to expose the yolks, pretty sure it's for photographic reasons so I did the same. The eggs actually come out all white like poached eggs with the yolks not showing.