We think shakshuka is about to take over the world – for a very good reason. It’s one of the best breakfasts ever, plus it’s incredibly easy to make. This is a communal meal: more than one person can dip into the pan with you, so be sure to share it with someone you love. Making shakshuka is also a perfect opportunity to look through your fridge for any veg that needs using up, and add it to the pan. There are just a few rules to bear in mind. Leave the sauce fairly liquid – that way, it’s much easier to mop out of the pan with fresh bread.
Ingredients
- ½ tsp caraway seeds
- 50 ml olive oil
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp smoked, hot or sweet paprika, to taste
- 3 tomatoes, chopped
- 2 × 400 g cans chopped tomatoes
- 8 eggs
- 50 g feta
- extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- a handful of coriander leaves, chopped
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 whole good, white sourdough loaf, sliced, to serve
How to Make It
- Heat a large, ovenproof frying pan or sauté pan over a medium heat and toast the caraway seeds for 2 minutes, until very fragrant. Pour in the olive oil and let it warm through, frying the toasted seeds for a minute or two.
- Add the sliced onion and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until jammy and softened – around 10–15 minutes. Add the chilli flakes, cumin and paprika and cook for a further 2 minutes, until fragrant. Tip in the chopped fresh tomatoes, give everything a good stir, and cook for 5 minutes more until they have completely collapsed and given up their juices. Add the canned tomatoes and bring to the boil. Taste, season with salt and pepper, then cook for 2 minutes more. Reduce the heat and simmer for at least 15–20 minutes, until the sauce is dark, rich and flavoursome. If it becomes too thick, you can always thin it with a little water. If necessary, you can remove from the heat and leave the sauce to cool down until you are ready to serve, at which point simply heat it up and carry on to the next stage.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Take a wooden spoon and hollow out a little well in the surface of the tomato sauce. Gently break an egg into it, taking care not to break the yolk. Continue to plant the eggs around the pan until you’ve added them all. Take a fork and bury the egg whites under the sauce while leaving the yolks on show.
- Crumble the feta over the top in between the yolks, drizzle the top with olive oil to prevent it from burning and give it a lovely shine, and place the pan in the oven. After 5 minutes, the yolks should be just set. After 5 minutes, the yolks should be set – bake them for less if you’d like them runny. Sprinkle over the chopped coriander leaves and drizzle with olive oil to serve. Put the pan directly on the table along with the best white sourdough you can find, sliced or, even, toasted, if you like. The traditional, communal way to eat shakshuka is straight out of the pan, scooping it up with pieces of bread, but plates are allowed if you really insist.
