Shakshuka
Being introduced to shakshuka by a group of kind-hearted Israelis in a hostel in Brazil was a godsend. It became the meal that kept my best friend and me alive whilst travelling. All shakshuka requires is a tin of tomatoes, eggs and some dried chilli flakes, but even stripped to its bare bones it can’t help but be delicious. The recipe I give you is a slightly more cosmopolitan version, but the winning combination of spicy tomato sauce with rich, creamy egg remains the same
1/2 onion, peeled and sliced into half-moons
1/2 yellow pepper, cut into strips
1 clove of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 red chilli, finely diced with seeds intact
1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
400g can of chopped tomatoes or 200g passata
2 eggs
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Tortillas or bread
In a frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, chilli and chilli flakes (if using). Saute the onions and the spices for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion have turned translucent. Next add your pepper. Cook for a further 2 or 3 minutes until it begins to soften, before pouring in your can of chopped tomatoes or passata. Leave the sauce to do its thing for 5 minutes.
Stir it and season to taste, then flatten everything in the pan so that it’s level, before cracking in the eggs. Leave to cook for a further 5-8 minutes until the eggs have poached in their sauce, leaving the yolks gloriously runny.
Serve bubbling from the pan with grilled tortillas, cut into triangles to ensure the perfect sauce-to-bread dipping ratio.
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