For the last lunch of the summer we were inspired to make the most of the season's wonderful peppers and tomatoes so Shakshuka, a Middle-Eastern dish often favoured for brunch, was an obvious choice. This hearty but healthy dish is filled with vegetables, protein and herbs and finished off with feta and a generous drizzle of olive oil. It is very easy to make but requires a bit of time to prepare. Serve with warm, crusty bread.
Ingredients
3 tbsp Domaine de Gerbaud extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 red peppers, cut into long slices
2 green peppers, cut into long slices
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp caraway seeds
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp tomato or red pepper purée
2 x 400g tins tomatoes
1 small bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1 small bunch fresh parsley, roughly chopped
8 free-range eggs
85g/3oz feta, crumbled
8 tbsp thick natural yoghurt or labneh
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large, lidded frying pan. Add the onions and peppers and season with salt and pepper. Cook on a medium heat until just softened. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the cumin and caraway seeds and the cayenne pepper. Stir in the tomato or red pepper purée and cook for a couple more minutes until the paste starts to separate. Add the tomatoes with a splash of water.
Simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered, until reduced a little. Taste after 5 minutes and add a little sugar if you think the tomatoes need it. Keep an eye on the texture – you don’t want it runny, but it mustn’t get too dry, either. Add another splash of water if necessary. When the sauce is reduced, stir in the herbs.
Make 8 small wells in the sauce. Break an egg into a cup and drop carefully into a well, repeat with the remaining eggs. Cook for a few more minutes until the whites are just set and the yolks are still runny. Sprinkle over the crumbled feta. Serve with yogurt or labneh on the side.
Recipe courtesy of: BBC Food