Shakshuka

Shakshuka is a North African dish that is very popular in Israel. In the 1950s many Jews fled from North Africa to Israel and the rich cuisine they bought with them is quite dominant in modern Israeli cuisine.

Shakshuka should be spicy, so aim to use enough fresh chili to give a bit of a kick. Not all chilis are equal so taste before you decide how much to use.

We add Merguez sausages to our Shakshuka, and the result is a substantial meal, however Shakshuka is a great vegetarian meal without them.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 onion roughly chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic
• fresh chili to taste finely chopped
• 2-3 tbsp of Olive oil for frying
• 8-10 ripe tomatoes cut into wedges
• 4 Merguez sauages
• 8 free range eggs

Method

Heat your oven to 200°C

You will need a pan that is around 30cm in diameter, it needs to be large enough to hold all your ingredients in one layer and a lid that fits well.

Fry the onion till light brown and add garlic and chili fry for two minutes. Add tomatoes continue frying for 3-5 minutes then transfer the pan to the oven for 10 minutes. If your pan has a plastic handle you won't be able to put it into the oven, but you could transfer the mixture into a small roasting pan.

While the Shakshuka is roasting in the oven grill or fry the sausages whole until browned all over then transfer to a board and slice into chunks.

Your tomatoes should be ready so add the sausage chunks to the pan place on the heat.

Crack the eggs into the pan in such a way that they are evenly spread around the pan and not at the the edge of the pan as they will cook too quickly. Reduce the heat and cover.

The Shakshuka is ready when the whites of the eggs are set but the yolks are still runny. Add salt and freshly cracked pepper.

Serve with plenty of fresh bread.