Simple, slow-cooked shakshuka

Words: Ross Dobson

Images: Jeremy Simons // jeremysimons

Israel’s most famous breakfast dish, the shakshuka, is one of our favourite breakfast orders. Spicy, filling and delicious, we never walk away feeling dissatisfied. But, it’s also always been the sort of thing we thought we could never make at home. Until now. Chef Ross Dobson shows us how to make a one-pot, simple shakshuka that’s vego-friendly, but can also have meat added if you’re keen on the extra protein. He says, “this one-pot dish is so packed with flavour that it’s no surprise it has become such a popular brunch item at cafes. But with this great shakshuka recipe, there’s no reason not to make it at home.”

SERVES: 4

PREPARATION: 15 minutes

COOKING TIME: 3.5 hours

 INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large red onion, sliced into thin wedges

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

400 g (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes

400 g (14 oz) can cherry tomatoes

1 cup (180 g) sliced roasted red capsicum (pepper)

2 tablespoons tomato paste (concentrated purée)

4 eggs

large handful flat-leaf parsley leaves

large handful mint leaves

toast, to serve

METHOD:

1. Heat your slow cooker to High.

2. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over high heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes, until the onion is soft. Stir in the paprika and cumin and cook for a minute, until aromatic. Tip in both cans of tomatoes, along with the roasted capsicum and the tomato paste, and stir well. Season generously with salt and pepper, then scrape the whole lot into the bowl of the slow cooker. Cover and cook for 3 hours, until the sauce is thick and bubbling around the edges.

3. Working quickly to avoid losing too much heat, make four wells in the sauce, each large enough to hold an egg. Crack an egg into a small jug and then pour into a well. Repeat with the other eggs.

4. Cover and cook for 20–30 minutes, until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still soft (if you want harder yolks, just cook the eggs for a bit longer). Scatter with the herbs and serve with toast on the side.

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Images and text from

The Healthy Slow Cooker by Ross Dobson, Photography by Jeremy Simons.

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