What came first? The chicken or the egg? Well who cares because it gave us shakshuka! Nothing screams Middle Eastern like this recipe. Deciding who had this recipe first is also another story! I always find this the perfect dish to bring the whole family round to in the morning. However, it is also a great light lunch option and perfect when made into mini version for you to enjoy alone!

Cooking notes:

• I use a cast iron shallow casserole dish - ideally just make sure your pan has a lid for when you are cooking the eggs.

• I prefer to cook my eggs slowly on the hob with the lid on. But you can put it under the grill.

• Omani Za’atar leaves can be bought here!

Ingredients:

• 400g Tinned Chopped Tomatoes

• 6 fresh tomatoes cut into small cubes

• 100g Pitted Green or purple Olives

• 200g Feta Cheese (optional)

• 1 TBSP Black Pepper (Crushed)

• 1 Fresh Red Chillies

• 1 Capsicum (Sliced)

• 1 red Onion (Sliced)

• 1 TBSP Ground Cumin

• 1 TSP Turmeric

• 1 TBSP Ground Coriander

• 2 Garlic Cloves (Crushed) & Chopped fine)

• 1 TSP Dried Lime Powder or Juice of 1/2 Lemon

• 4 Large Eggs

• Salt

• Half Bunch Fresh Parsley (chopped finely)

• 2 TBSP Za’atar Leaves

Method:

1. Heat up your onions, garlic & chilli in your pan fry for about 5 minutes till the onions have become transparent and are starting to brown, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn!

2. Add in both types of tomatoes along with the black pepper, cumin, chillies, capsicums, turmeric, salt, 1tbsp za’atar leaves, lemon or dried lime.

3. Mix well and place on a medium to high heat for about 5-10 minutes, then reduce to a lower heat, allowing it to simmer. We are looking for the water to reduce and the tomato mixture to have thickened. But to not let all the water go!

4. Now add in your fresh coriander & parsley and mix to incorporate.

5. Using a spoon make 4 deep pockets in the mixture and then crack an egg into each pocket. Sprinkle over half of your feta at this point so it melts at the same time.

6. Place the pan under the grill or put a lid on top of your pan and lower the heat and leave to steam till the eggs have cooked through. If doing it on the hob it can take a while but I promise they will get there!

7. If using the grill I leave mine under for about 3 minutes. I like my eggs to be quite runny. Depending how you prefer yours will depend how long you leave it under.

8. Once it is ready sprinkle over another table spoon of za’atar leaves along with the olives and the rest of the feta if you want. We usually place our pan straight on the table and everyone digs in!

9. This dish perfectly pairs with some of my Zanzibari Flat bread!

10. ENJOY! Drop me a comment or email if you need help.