Shakshuka

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• 800 g peeled tomatoes, in their juice, crushed to smaller bits
• 1 tsp salt, adjust to taste
• pepper
• 1 bunch cilantro, half for cooking, half for serving
• 5 eggs, at room temperature
• feta cheese, to taste, for serving
• Kalamata olives, to taste, for serving

Preparation

1. Cook the red bell pepper in olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Lightly char the peppers, then add the onion. Cook until the it softens.
2. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. At that point your pan shouldn’t be too hot, so it won’t burn the garlic.
3. Add the chili, paprika and cumin. Mix until everything is coated with them.
4. Crush the tomatoes between your fingers to make them smaller. Add them to the pan.
5. Add salt, pepper and half of the cilantro. Simmer on low temperature for around 10 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste while it cooks. I use about 1 teaspoon of salt.
6. Make little wells in the sauce for eggs. Pour the eggs into those holes. If the eggs are at room temperature, they cook faster and the yolk doesn’t harden.
7. Let everything simmer until the eggs are cooked.
8. Sprinkle with feta, olives, and the rest of the cilantro. Serve with bread.

Shakshuka redux

You can leave out the tomatoes and red bell pepper and make a really nice weekday breakfast for one:

1. Add butter to a pan and heat it up to medium heat
2. Crack two eggs, and sprinkle them with salt, pepper, cumin, paprika and a small pinch of garlic powder
3. Top with feta, olives and chopped coriander
4. Cook the eggs until opaque but still runny
5. Serve with fresh bread.