Shakshuka in Plenty

Here as promised, is the meal I held back from the Plenty review. This recipe does anything but restraint. There are days that call for that, when you want a big ol’ flavour hit that refuses to compromise. Hearty, rough around the edges, and unapologetically so. Like a rugged man. Without the emotional availability issues.

It’s healthy, flavourful, a feast of colour and certainly of flavour. This Tunisian triumph, is the kind of brimming panful of food you place on the table when feeding the multitudes for brunch or lunch, though I am far from being opposed to having it for supper either. I like that reversed element of breakfast for dinner.

All that needs to be done, is to cook onions and peppers with some spices and herbs. After that, you crack in eggs to cook slowly, until whites are set but the yolks are still runny. You can can get ahead and cook it to the point that the eggs are added. Feta or any other sharpish cheese can be crumbled in and the spiky hit of meaty merguez sausages would not go  amiss. A judicious, or positively masochistic amount, of harissa mixed in, is a taste bud exploding option. A winning meal to make for vegetarians, or, if you leave out the egg, for vegans too. Another great thing is that you can serve this in one or a few big pans, or if it’s a more genteel amount of people, in individual flat bowls as I have done here. The only pre-requisite, is that plenty of bread is served alongside. I forgot that bit, but it didn’t dampen my enthusiastic greed.

The tangle of  spiced peppers, onions, tomatoes and herbs makes a rich, juicy, sweet-savoury forkful of food. The eggs, just complete the picture, adding a lighter but filling protein element. There are a lot of flavours and textures merging and mingling in this one pan, but no one element disagrees with another. For me, sweet mint tea is a must alongside.

And there you have it. Click here for the recipe, and site have recently updated it with a video of the man himself cooking a panful of Shakshuka. Even the sound of the word has a liveliness to it. If you don’t feel complete satisfaction, after the last torn piece of bread, has swiped the last vestige of sauce off the plate, then you are simply beyond my powers.

Simple, heartwarming food.

About these ads

Tags: Main Meals, middle eastern, Ottolenghi, spices, Storecupboard, vegan, vegetarian