Simple shakshuka: spice up your mealtimes with this Middle Eastern dish

Over the past few weeks I’ve had friends buying a few chickens to keep in the back garden for a steady supply of eggs, and so many people have started to bake their own sourdough bread.

It’s a welcome lean towards self-sufficiency, with more time spent at home being an opportunity to cook those recipes that we’ve earmarked to try. In between balancing homeschooling and my usual work, I have kombucha bubbling and sauerkraut fermenting. I’ve begun to bake sourdough again.

If you're looking to dip your toe into the wonderful world of wild yeasts then look no further than Riot Rye in Cloughjordan. Joe Fitzmaurice and Julie Lockett have step-by-step instructions on their website, riotrye.ie, including videos on how to grow your own starter.

They designed the Common Loaf so that it could be made by anyone, anywhere. If you have no flour (it has been in short supply) then I suggest ordering from the likes of Durrow Mills or Ballymore Organics via their websites and they will deliver directly to your door.

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I’ve been serving thin toasted slices of home-made sourdough with this gorgeous shakshuka. It uses some pantry staples such as tinned tomatoes and spices and can be made in minutes. Using frozen sliced peppers makes this dish even faster. It is usually a breakfast dish in the Middle East.

Many cultures have a similar dish to this with only slight variations. The Mexican breakfast huevos rancheros has the stew served on tortillas with guacamole and refried beans. The Turkish version, menemen, often involves spicy sausage, oregano and mint, and the eggs are scrambled.

Traditionally a hollow is made in the thick bubbling stew using the back of a ladle and the eggs are cracked in. The heat is lowered to a bare simmer and the eggs gently cook in the tomato sauce.

I often find that I’m too impatient for this method to work and am constantly checking the eggs and usually overcook them to my dismay. So I now fry or poach the eggs separately and place them on top of the stew once it’s plated up. This is also a more practical method if you are cooking for more than two people; a very large pan would be required to fit six eggs.

SIMPLE SHAKSHUKA

Serves six 
Ingredients 
2 tbsp olive oil 
3 onions, halved and sliced 
2 tsp cumin, ground 
1 tsp coriander, ground 
1 tsp smoked paprika 
2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into strips 
2 yellow peppers, deseeded and cut into strips 
1 tsp dark brown sugar 
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes 
200g baby spinach leaves, washed 
4 tbsp chopped parsley or coriander 
Salt and pepper 
6 eggs 
To serve: fresh crusty bread

Method

1 Heat the olive oil in a large heavy based pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they begin to soften. Add the ground spices and stir to coat evenly. Cook for a minute or so to toast the spices before adding the sliced peppers. Cook for eight minutes until the peppers begin to soften and the spices are fragrant.

2 Add the brown sugar and tomatoes. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until well reduced and thickened. Taste for seasoning and add a generous amount of pepper and some salt.

3 Meanwhile fry or poach the eggs depending on which method you prefer.

4 Remove the stew from the heat, stir in the spinach leaves, using the residual warmth to wilt them.

5 Ladle the stew into bowls, top with an egg and lots of fresh parsley before serving with crusty white bread.