Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin rapeseed oil
½ small onion, chopped
½ red pepper, chopped
1 medium-heat fresh green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon hawai’ij spice blend (page 000 or see the tips)
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
½ teaspoon caster sugar (optional; see the tips)
2 teaspoons sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 free-range eggs
To garnish (optional):
chopped fresh parsley and/or za’atar
To serve:
fresh bread (we like the challah but sourdough is nice too)
hummus or tahini sauce
chopped salad or crunchy vegetables like carrot and radish
Shakshuka
A Tunisian dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers, onions, chilli, and spices. This is traditionally served for breakfast but we eat it for brunch, lunch or sometimes as a quick dinner. Most of the ingredients you’ll have to hand so it’s really easy to whip up. You can leave out the chilli if you don’t like it spicy.
Serve with a salad, fresh bread and green tahini sauce.
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin rapeseed oil
½ small onion, chopped
½ red pepper, chopped
1 medium-heat fresh green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon hawai’ij spice blend (page 000 or see the tips)
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
½ teaspoon caster sugar (optional; see the tips)
2 teaspoons sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 free-range eggs
To garnish (optional):
chopped fresh parsley and/or za’atar
To serve:
fresh bread (we like the challah but sourdough is nice too)
hummus or tahini sauce
chopped salad or crunchy vegetables like carrot and radish
Method
- Heat the oil in a medium frying pan on a medium heat. Add the chopped onion and fry for a few minutes, until the onion begins to soften. Add the chopped pepper and chilli and fry for 2–3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1–2 minutes more. Add the hawai’ij spice blend and fry for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt and black pepper to the pan. Fill the tomato tin one-quarter full of water, then add that to the pan too. Simmer, uncovered, over a low heat for 15–20 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Check that the sauce is seasoned to your liking.
Keeping the pan on a low heat, crack the eggs one at a time directly over the tomato sauce, making sure to space them evenly over the sauce. Cover the pan and cook for 5–8 minutes, until the eggs are cooked to your liking.
Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and/or za’atar. Bring the pan to the table and serve with fresh bread, hummus and a salad or crunchy vegetables.
Tips:
- If you don’t have hawai’ij, then add ½ teaspoon each of ground coriander, ground cumin and paprika and ¼ teaspoon each of ground turmeric and ground black pepper.
- In Israel we used to make this with fresh tomatoes that are dunked in hot water to peel the skins. That way, it doesn’t need the sugar.
- For meat-eaters, you can add some chopped chorizo with the red pepper.
