Serves: 2

Difficulty: 2/5

Time: 30 minutes

Origin: North Africa and the Middle East

Although typically a breakfast, this dish combines tomatoes, onion and pepper with herbs and spices to create a flavourful meal. Shakshuka is usually served in the pan for that rustic feel, along with crusty bread to dip into the tomato sauce and the runny eggs. Merguez are a North African sausage consisting of lamb and beef with spices. Passed onto to me by my North African friends, this recipe is a traditional one with a twist for extra flavour.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion

• 1 pepper

• 1 tomato

• 4 merguez (or an alternative sausage)

• 2 eggs

• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes

• 1 tbsp tomato puree

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp cumin

• Salt and pepper

• Handful of chopped coriander

• Olive oil

Method

Chop onions and peppers into slices and dice the tomatoes.

In a pan on a medium heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil and brown off the merguez for about 5 minutes. Once browned, remove the merguez from the pan and set aside. You can use chorizo or a vegetarian alternative instead.

In the same pan, add the onions and cook until soft and brown.

Add in the peppers and stir constantly, cooking until softened.

Once the peppers have softened, add in the tomatoes, the tin of chopped tomatoes and 1 tbsp tomato puree. Stir to combine everything together.

Add in the paprika, cumin, salt and pepper and cook for about 3 minutes.

Add the merguez (or sausage of choice) back into the pan. Then, using a spoon, make two wells and crack an egg into each.

Cover with a lid and cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on how runny you like your eggs. You can use foil if you don’t have a lid.

Sprinkle with chopped coriander and enjoy!

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