SHAKSHUKA
So one of my favourite weekend activities is to head out for brunch, with The Terrace in Yarmouth being a spot I frequent most often (it also featured in our recent Pocket Guide to the West Wight)!
The ‘Terrace Shakshuka’ is my go-to-dish! Baked eggs in a rich tomatoey sauce with a side of their renowned grilled focaccia, looking out across the Solent (I mean does brunch get better than that?). Now when I found myself stuck inside this weekend isolating with COVID (made worse by the glorious sunshine - but really in the grand scheme of things I have nothing to complain about), I decided I would attempt to recreate my favourite dish at home!
Shakshuka at The Terrace
Shakshuka originated from North Africa, and is popular breakfast food throughout the Middle East. It’s a simple dish made up of eggs cooked in a tomato sauce with peppers and sometimes onions, usually served in the pan it was cooked in. My recipe is honestly really easy to create and can be super versatile:
Don’t have fresh tomatoes use 1/2 a tin (although I would very much recommend using Isle of Wight Tomatoes of course!
No peppers then leave out or sub in for another veg like courgette, aubergine or broccoli (if using broccoli I would boil or steam first before adding to the sauce, so it’s not too tough)
No spinach, try kale
The name essentially means ‘all mixed up’, so get creative and chuck anything in!
Want to make this dish vegan - try adding cubes of tofu, dollops of tahini, and/or add slices of avocado!
Recipe
Servings: 1
Time to create: 15 minutes
Equipment: chopping board, small non-stick pan, small baking dish (greased with a little olive oil), wooden spoon, knife, tsp, tbsp
Ingredients
2 eggs
1/2 red onion (finely diced)
1 clove of garlic (finely diced)
1 red pepper (deseeded and chopped into small cubes)
2 large tomatoes (finely diced)
2-3 sun-dried tomatoes (chopped)
1 tbsp of tomato puree
Handful of spinach
1/2 tsp of cumin
1/2 tsp of paprika
Salt + Pepper to taste
Olive Oil to cook
Additional extras: crumbled feta (sprinkle over the top before baking), parsley (chop and sprinkle over the top after serving, 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper for an extra kick (add in at the same time as the other spices)
Method
Pre-heat the oven to it’s hottest temperature.
Add 1/2 tbsp of olive oil to the pan and place over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic and pepper. Sauté for 5-8 minutes, until tender. Add the spices and stir for a further 1 minute.
Add the chopped tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and tomato puree. Cook for a further 3 minutes, regularly stirring the mixture with the wooden spoon. Add the spinach and cook for a further 1 minute, until it has wilted.
Decant the tomato sauce into the baking dish and using the back of a spoon, make 2 wells for the eggs. Crack one egg in each well.
Place into the centre of the oven for approximately 8-10 minutes. The longer you leave it the oven the harder the egg will become. If you want a runny egg, take out closer to the 8 minute mark.
Be careful taking the dish out of the oven (it will be very HOT), and leave the dish to cool for 5 minutes before diving in!
Enjoy!
