I’m sorry to admit that I was late to the Shakshuka game. To give myself credit, it wasn’t because I didn’t know it existed. I mean, every fashionable cafe in London offered its own take on it, charging an exorbitant price, which was quite cheeky, really, given that most Middle-Eastern establishments had had it on their menus for years. On which note, I would hasten to add that, like their eateries, Middle-Eastern stores sell their regional ingredients at half the price of gentrified hipster equivalents. 

Anyway, where was I… oh yes, I was well aware Shakshuka existed but I hate tomatoes. Mostly in their fresh form - I usually don’t mind them cooked - but the idea of a bowl of chopped tomatoes with a few flavourings really didn’t appeal.

Then, I was taken to an Israeli restaurant for brunch, where I ordered several sharing dishes, Shakshuka included. And I must say, I was utterly converted. While the tomatoes were definitely present, the gently cooked vegetables, softly poached eggs (without the white wobbly bit!), and herb-flecked yoghurt, combined with the other topping options on offer, were beautiful. It tasted nutritious and intensely flavourful. I finally understood: the tomatoes were a mere vehicle and balancing component for an endless variety of other ingredients. 

Since then, this has been a standby for almost any mealtime. It’s great for brunch, a packed lunch, or a dinner, when you have no idea what else to cook. I think I originally relied on an Ottolenghi recipe but I can’t remember which one, and anyway, it has since spawned into something else that I can cook easily, off the top of my head. 

I have cooked this throughout the final years of my PhD as something that makes a really wholesome solo lunch. This is best cooked low and slow, but of course there’s very little in it that would be dangerous if cooked in double-time. I would say, however, that it really is best suited to a calm extended lunchtime when you want to give yourself time to breathe and mull things over. 

A few notes on the recipe

This is a recipe you can increase to no end, assuming you have a big enough pan to hold it all. So feel free to make this for a couple’s brunch, a sharing family dinner, or just keep it a solitary long lunch. 

It is also endlessly modifiable. What I have specified is my usual go-to but I have also been known to add broccoli, courgettes and baby spinach to the tomatoes, and to top it with sesame seeds or za’atar, while greedily spooning it onto warmed flatbreads. 

It is a Middle-Eastern and North-African dish, so I try to stay mildly true to that flavour profile but, honestly, it’s a great way to use up anything in your fridge. I guess, in a way, it’s a quick casserole with an egg on top. And on that note, I would say the egg is very much obligatory; an egg, like cheese, makes everything taste better. That said, I daresay feta crumbled on top would work marvellously.