Shakshuka

No wonder shakshuka has become so popular. It makes a decadent brunch, an elegant lunch or quick dinner. Lots of recipes use fresh chillies, but we think that cayenne pepper makes a killer sauce. It doesn’t just provide a fruity heat but it’s also a store cupboard spice meaning you don’t have to pop to the shops for fresh ingredients. Bonus!

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 red pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp Rooted ground cumin
1 tsp Rooted cayenne pepper
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
4 eggs
Rooted House Blend to garnish

To serve (optional):
Handful feta cheese, crumbled
Dollop of labneh
Handful of parsley, chopped

Method

Heat the olive oil in a the largest frying pan you have – or a shallow casserole dish. Stir the red pepper and onion into the oil, and cook at a low-medium heat for 5-8 minutes (longer, if time affords), until they soften – but not so much that they colour.

Add the garlic to the pan, and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, until aromatic. Stir the cumin and cayenne pepper into the mixture, and then pour the chopped tomatoes into the frying pan.

Season with lemon juice and sugar, and then cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes, on a low-medium heat. The sauce should be bubbling only very gently, allowing most of the liquid to evaporate, so the tomato sauce starts to thicken a little, and takes on a jammy sheen.

Use a wooden spoon to ‘burrow’ four holes in the sauce. Crack an egg in each hole, and ‘poach’ them in the sauce for 5 minutes, until cooked. Garnish with some Rooted House Blend and any other toppings of choice, and serve with hot toast.

spices used

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