EGGS IN PURGATORY

If you, like me, live in an area over populated by trendy coffee shops with bearded baristas flexing their muscles and exhibiting their tats while fixing your organic coffee latte, and then I bet, you will find one of the most common staples on every menu, Egg Shakshouka.  For those who have never heard about this newest fixation, it is an egg dish served for breakfast all over the Middle East, it is traditionally served in a cast iron pan with pita bread on the side to mop up the eggs and the spicy sauce. 

However, I am calling mine “Eggs in Purgatory”.  Actually, it does not matter what you call it, the principle remains, it is tasty, spicy, satisfactory and an easy to cook at home dish.  And so here is how to cook your Eggs in Purgatory.

To feed 2 people you need:

4 eggs

½ tin of chopped tomatoes

1 small red onion

1 red capsicum (bell pepper) finely chopped

Olive oil

Freshly chopped parsley

¼ tsp of chili flakes

½ tsp of smoked paprika (available in the spice section of your supermarket)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pita or flat bread

1 tsp of Za’atar (click on "Za'atar" if you want to make your own, it is dead easy)

Method:

Chop the red onion very finely.  Heat the oil in a frying pan on a low heat and sauté the onions until they are soft and translucent.   While the onions are cooking, finely chop the capsicum and add it to the pan, cook until soft.  Pour over the tomatoes, add salt, black pepper, paprika and chili flakes and toss everything together and cook for about 5 minutes until all the flavours are well incorporated; taste it and adjust the seasoning. 

While the eggs are cooking, get the bread ready.  If you don’t have any pita or flat bread at home, just toast a slice of normal bread to add a little bit of crunch to it.  I also like to sprinkle it with Za’atar, a typical Middle Eastern spice (you can make your own, it is dead easy) to make it more flavoursome.   

Make four wells in the mixture and carefully crack four eggs.  Don’t worry if the eggs are not perfect, they will taste delicious anyway.  Cook the eggs to your liking, transfer to warm plates, sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.  Serve the bread on the side for mopping.

Enjoy!!!