Shakshuka

Shakshuka is a slow-cooked pepper and tomato sauce with eggs from North Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean. Every region has its own variation, each using a different combination of spices, herbs, and/or vegetables. I love this dish, and over the years, I have tried various recipes, but I have finally fallen in love with this recipe from @Ottolenghi. The dish is slow-cooked, and I tend to extend the cooking time by using a low flame, extracting the flavours from the peppers and slowly caramelizing the tomatoes for a rich and complex flavour profile. You can taste the pungency of the peppers, the sweetness of the sugar and onions, and the tartness of the tomatoes. The paprika adds an indulgent smoky and mild spice to the dish. I step away from the original recipe and use Spanish smoked paprika, both sweet and hot, for a complex flavour that lingers on the palate. Although this dish is traditionally served with slow-cooked, runny eggs, I have also used boiled eggs and occasionally added feta cheese as a topping.

I served this in a contemporary Indian style, over bread, and topped with a wedge of boiled eggs as an appetizer. The presentation was beautiful, and the dish was well received. I served it again in a more traditional fashion, slow-cooked with runny eggs. It does not matter how you serve this dish; it is just over-the-top good!

This cookbook was the first one in my Ottolenghi collection; I now have all the others. It brought beautiful flavours to my table and opened my mind to great recipes. Most of the recipes are simple, but each dish is fabulous. I have cooked more than half the recipes from this cookbook. I do need to post from here more often.

For more fabulous recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 2-3 tablespoons light olive oil or vegetable oil 2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced 2 red and 2 yellow peppers, cored and thinly sliced

1 green pepper, cored and thinly sliced 4 teaspoons muscovado or brown sugar 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, minced 1/2 cup fresh coriander, minced 6 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon saffron strands 1/2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon hot paprika, or to taste. If not using add more sweet smoked paprika Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup water 4-6 free-range eggs

In a large saucepan, dry-roast the cumin on high heat for two minutes. Add the oil and sauté the onions for 5 minutes till they are translucent. Add the peppers, sugar, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, and two tablespoons of coriander, and cook on high heat for a nice colour for about 15 minutes and till the peppers are soft and cooked.

Add the tomatoes, saffron, cayenne, salt and pepper. Cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes, adding enough water to keep it the consistency of a pasta sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning. It should be potent and flavoursome. You can prepare this mix in advance.

To finish the dish in the more traditional way, warm the sauce in a pan. When hot, make 4-6 depressions in the mix; they should not be all the way to the surface of the pan. Crack an egg in each depression and cook over a slow simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the whites are cooked through and the yolks are as runny as you prefer. Serve with bread, naan, lavish pita bread, or any bread of your choice.

To serve in a more contemporary fashion, boil and peel the eggs. Cut into quarters along the long axis. Heat the sauce. Cut and toast the bread of choice, pita, naan, white or whole wheat bread, or other bread. Load the heated sauce on the toasted bread and top with an egg. Serve as an appetizer or finger food immediately.