Ever since Ottolenghi’s ‘Mediterranean Feast’ aired, I’ve been dying to test out his shakshuka recipe. A North African recipe by origin, shakshuka in simple terms is eggs poached in a ruby red sauce of tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, chilli and plenty of cumin. In actual fact, it’s somewhat similar to an omelette – it contains eggs and has an easily adapted list of ingredients.

This version is heavy on the herbs – with bay leaves, thyme, parsley and coriander – but I decided to forgo all four to keep my shakshuka relatively purist. I also added a generous spoonful of harissa paste, a Tunisian chilli sauce of roasted red peppers, herbs, spices and, of course, chilli, for an extra layer of flavour. Once you’ve prepped your vegetables (I used garlic, peppers and fresh tomatoes), it’s a case of chucking everything in a frying pan with olive oil and letting the harissa and cumin work their smoky spices into the sauce. I used fresh tomatoes, but unless they’re ripe and juicy I’d recommend adding a few splashes of water (or even better, half a can of chopped tomatoes) to make an even more luscious sauce.

After cracking in your eggs, let them gently poach so their centres are still oozy by turning down the heat and clamping a lid over the pan. I can’t vouch for the herb-heavy version, but mine had a lovely sweetness from the peppers and, laced with cumin and coriander seeds from the harissa, made my kitchen smell like a Turkish street cafe. It’s an excellent alternative to a fry up for brunch with friends, but works equally well as a dinner dish served with fluffy rice, warm pita or white crusty bread.

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