Shakshuka

A delicious Middle Eastern dish where the eggs are poached in a spicy tomato sauce.

Although traditionally served as part of an evening meal, we love it for a lazy Sunday breakfast as it is quick to make, endlessly versatile and a great way to use up whatever vegetables you have lying around. I have several alternatives for this dish, which I shall share with you soon. Delicious served with pide (Turkish bread) or some crusty bread to mop up all the tomatoey goodness.

INGREEDIENTS

• 1 Onion, diced

• 3 Cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 Chilli, thinly sliced (or 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder)

• 1/2 tsp Smoked paprika

• 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper

• 1/2 tsp Cumin

• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg

• 1 tin Chopped tomatoes (or fresh if you need to use them up)

• Handful of fresh (or frozen) spinach

• 4 eggs

• Salt & Pepper to taste

• Fresh herbs to season

METHOD

• Fry the onion, garlic, chilli and spices for a couple of minutes until soft and aromatic (If you are using up any other veg - mushrooms, courgettes, carrots, peppers, add them now and cook till soft)

• Add the tomatoes and spinach, season with salt and give it all a good stir

• Bring to the boil, then turn the heat to the lowest setting, make 4 holes in the sauce and crack an egg in each corner

• Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs

• Season to perfection with salt and pepper and scatter some fresh herbs on top. Here, I used basil because it was to hand, but you can use whatever you like!

Enjoy! Joseph x