This delicious middle eastern breakfast, known as Shakshuka, features a kick of hot spice, the soft sweetness of tomato sauce and a real egginess which is difficult to beat.
Ingredients (serves 3-4)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 80ml olive oil
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 1 green chilli pepper, stemmed, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 red sweet pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons muscovado sugar
- 1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves
- 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 6 medium eggs
- Salt and pepper
- Soft white bread, to sop
Method
Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and dry-fry for two minutes. Add the olive oil and allow it to heat up, then add the onion and green chilli and cook for around two minutes.
Now throw in the red pepper, sugar, thyme and all but one tablespoon each of the coriander and parsley, and cook on a medium-low heat for a further five minutes. Add the tomatoes and the cayenne pepper and season with salt and pepper, then turn the heat down. Leave alone for 15 minutes, but keep checking the sauce – if it’s getting dry, add a little water.
Now break the eggs into the mix so they are more or less evenly spaced. Cover the pan and leave gently cooking for five minutes, or until the white has cooked but the yolk still has a bit of run to it.
Sprinkle on the rest of the parsley and coriander, and serve with some bread close to hand.
The Breakfast Bible by Seb Emina and Malcolm Eggs
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing Australia, RRP $49.99
www.bloomsbury.com/au
