SHAKSHUKA

Happy Weekend everyone. How amazing has the weather been in and around London? I spotted the first daffodils sprouting in one of our balcony flower pots, we've got the windows wide open and spring is definitely on its way.
This morning has been pretty lazy. We had lots of tea and coffee and a scrumptious brunch of Chachouka/Shakshuka. Once you've had this dish you will want to eat it every single weekend from now on. It's a wonderful full on breakfast/brunch and a great alternative to the usual fry up.  There are so many flavours going on it's like a little taste party. I initially used Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall's recipe, which was nice but resulted in the eggs being overcooked on top and still underdone on the bottom. I was recommended Ottolenghi's Shakshuka recipe by my workmate - and what a result. Feel free to experiment with Lebanese sausage (or chorizo), aubergine, potatoes, okra etc.

Hope you enjoy!


SERVES 2-4
PREPARATION 10mins
COOKS 30-45min

INGREDIENTS

• 2tbsp olive oil
• 2tbsp harissa paste
• 2tsp tomato purée
• 2 large red peppers, de-seeded and cut into 1/2cm cubes
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1tsp ground cumin
• 1tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes
• 2 medium eggs
• thick yoghurt, seasoned with a little sea salt
• crusty bread (optional)

PREPARATION METHOD

1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the harissa, tomato purée, peppers, garlic, cumin, paprika and 3/4 tsp of salt. Stir and leave to cook on a moderate heat for about 10 minutes, or until the peppers have started to soften. 
2. Add the tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer. Leave to bubble away for about 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened and intensified. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.
3. Make four dips in the sauce. Gently break the eggs and pour each into its own dip. Use a fork to swirl the egg whites a little bit with the sauce - but make sure not to break the egg yolk. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes until the eggs are still runny, but cooked through. You can also cover the pan with a lid to speed up the process. 
4. Spoon onto individual plates and serve with the yoghurt and crusty bread.

This is really nice with fresh mint tea - warm in the winter and iced in the summer.

Recipe taken from Yotam Ottolenghi's Jerusalem and adapted by Etta.