Shakshuka
August 2020
This is an any-time-of-day dish that is quick to whip up and can have all sorts of additions depending on what is in your fridge. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the spices, the cumin is the most important here. Do add leftover cooked vegetables or sliced chorizo or cooked sausage if you have it.
Instead of adding eggs, vegans can add a can of drained chickpeas to the pan and feel free to leave off the dairy, but to keep up the healthy fats, add some slices of avocado to the bowls instead. As this is a North African dish it is normally made with olive oil but butter is delicious and softens the acidity of the tomatoes.
Ingredients - Serves 2
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or butter or a mixture
1 onion or 4 spring onions, roughly chopped
1 red or green pepper
1 fat garlic clove
Red or green chilli, finely sliced and added to taste or ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Half a teaspoon cumin
Half a teaspoon ground coriander, optional
Half a teaspoon (unsmoked) paprika, optional
1 400g can chopped tomatoes
4 medium eggs
Small bunch (apx 7g) coriander or parsley or mint
50g feta or 2 heaped tablespoons Greek yoghurt, optional to serve
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil or butter (or both) over a medium high heat in a frying pan that has a lid and add the onion. Roughly chop the pepper and add this to the pan. Finely slice the garlic and chilli and add these to the pan with and seasoning. Continue to fry the mixture, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until the onions are soft. Stir in the spices.
Add the tomatoes to the pan and bring to the boil, stir through. Rinse the can with a little hot water and add this too. Keep the heat high to keep it bubbling but not high enough to splash. Let it simmer away for 5 to 7 minutes. Taste the sauce for the chilli heat and seasoning and adjust to your liking.
Meanwhile finely chop the stems of either the parsley or coriander and roughly chop the leaves. If using mint, discard the stems and tear the leaves. Set aside.
Now make four wells in the tomato sauce which should have thickened a little as it bubbled. Crack an egg into each well and season each one with a little salt and pepper. Put the lid on the pan and let it cook for 3 to 5 minutes depending on how you like your eggs. Remove the lid and scatter the shakshuka with crumbled feta, if using, and the herbs. If you are using yoghurt add the spoonfuls to the pan. Drizzle over the remaining oil or butter and serve straight away in the pan. We like to eat it in warm bowls with a spoon to gather up the sauce.
Learn more great recipes by joining us on one of our low carb cookery courses. See HERE for a list of upcoming dates.
