Shakshuka

Name: Shakshuka
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: North Africa and the Middle East
Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, thinly sliced; 2 red bell peppers, about 300 g, thinly sliced; 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; 2 tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp sweet paprika; 1 tsp harissa or chili flakes, to taste; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 2 cans (two 14 oz / 400 g cans) whole peeled tomatoes, 800 g, crushed by hand; 9 g (1½ tsp) fine sea salt; 1 tsp sugar, if the tomatoes are sharp; 6 large eggs; 100 g (3½ oz) feta, crumbled, optional; 2 tbsp cilantro or parsley, chopped; crusty bread or pita, to serve

Eggs poached in a smoky, spiced tomato and pepper sauce

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 15 min
Total: 40 min
Level: Easy

Shakshuka is eggs gently cooked in a thick sauce of tomatoes, peppers, garlic and cumin, served from the pan with bread to mop it up. Cooking the sauce down until thick is what keeps the eggs in neat pockets.

Ingredients

3 tbspolive oil
1onionthinly sliced
2red bell peppersabout 300 g, thinly sliced
3 clovesgarlicthinly sliced
2 tspground cumin
2 tspsweet paprika
1 tspharissa or chili flakesto taste
1 tbsptomato paste
2 canswhole peeled tomatoes (two 14 oz / 400 g cans)800 g, crushed by hand
9 gfine sea salt (1½ tsp)
1 tspsugarif the tomatoes are sharp
6large eggs
100 gfeta (3½ oz)crumbled, optional
2 tbspcilantro or parsleychopped
crusty bread or pitato serve

Diet: Vegetarian
Allergens: egg, milk, gluten
Origin: North Africa and the Middle East

Method

Heat the oil in a 28 cm frying pan or shallow casserole with a lid over medium heat. Add the onion and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and starting to color, 10–12 minutes.
Add the garlic, cumin, paprika and harissa and stir for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute more.
Add the tomatoes, salt and sugar. Bring to a simmer.
Cook uncovered over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until thick enough that a spoon dragged through leaves a trail that slowly fills, 12–15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. 14 min
Make 6 wells in the sauce with the back of a spoon. Crack an egg into each well.
Cover and cook over low heat for 6–8 minutes, until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Uncover for the last minute if the whites are slow to set on top. 7 min
Scatter over the feta and herbs and serve straight from the pan with bread.

Why it works

Reducing the sauce until thick concentrates flavor and gives the eggs firm walls to sit in, so the whites don't run and spread. Toasting the ground spices in oil briefly releases their fat-soluble aromas. A lid traps steam, so the top of the white sets at the same time as the bottom while the yolk stays soft.

Common mistakes

Watery sauce: the eggs spread out and the whites stay runny. Reduce until thick.
High heat once the eggs are in: the bottoms toughen before the tops set. Keep it low and covered.

Variations

Green shakshuka: Replace tomatoes and peppers with 500 g chopped chard or spinach, 2 leeks and a splash of cream; season with cumin and lemon.

Make ahead and storage

The sauce keeps 4 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen. Reheat and add the eggs when ready to eat.

Notes

Harissa brands vary in heat; start with less. Leave out the feta for a dairy-free version. Gluten only from the bread served with it; choose gluten-free bread to avoid it.