shakshuka
Shakshuka is an Israeli breakfast or brunch dish, but has been adopted (and adapted) as part of the worldwide breakfast-for-dinner trend. Making it with a soupier texture means there's more delicious sauce for dipping hunks of bread into. In summer, swap the canned tomatoes for fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped. The harissa isn't essential but its heat makes this a truly hangover-busting shakshuka.
ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and coarsely diced
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 (14oz) can chopped tomatoes
1¼ cups hot chicken or vegetable broth
1 to 2 teaspoons harissa or 1 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika
1 teaspoon soft brown sugar
2 eggs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve:
1¾ oz feta or other salty crumbly cheese
toasted bread, crusty white rolls, toasted flatbreads, or pita bread
steps
Place the oil in a large, wide heavy saucepan with a lid, set over medium heat. When hot, add a pinch of salt, the onion, and red bell pepper and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes, until beginning to soften and the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add the cumin and cook for another minute.
Next, add the tomatoes, broth, and harissa, if using, or paprika. Use a potato masher or the back of a large spoon to crush the lumps of tomato until the sauce is pulpy. Add some black pepper and the sugar, turn the heat down, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Break the eggs into the broth, keeping a gap between them, and cover the pan. Cook on low heat for about 7 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked to your liking. Scoop the eggs and some of the chunky broth out with a ladle and place gently in bowls.
Season the top of each egg with more salt and pepper, then sprinkle over the feta. Serve with bread for dipping into the yolks and mopping up the broth.
TIP: Leave out the feta and top with labneh, garlic yogurt, or chunks of fried, garlicky sausage.
