Shakshuka with Feta and Herbs

Shakshuka is one of those dishes that sounds exotic but is really just eggs poached in spiced tomato sauce. It is weeknight cooking at its best: one pan, 30 minutes, and you have a deeply flavorful meal. The trick is to build layers of flavor in the sauce — blooming the spices in oil, then building a base with onions and peppers, then adding the tomatoes and letting everything reduce until thick and jammy.

The eggs should be gently nestled into wells in the sauce and cooked covered until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. This takes about 7-8 minutes over medium-low heat. Resist the urge to cook them longer. A runny yolk that breaks into the spiced sauce when you dig in with bread is the whole point of this dish.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (or 1 fresh chili, sliced)
• 800g canned whole tomatoes (San Marzano if possible), crushed by hand
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and black pepper
• 6 large eggs
• 100g feta cheese, crumbled
• Fresh cilantro and flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Crusty bread for serving (sourdough or challah)

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper with a pinch of salt. Cook for 8-10 minutes until softened and starting to caramelize.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the cumin, smoked paprika, and chili flakes. Stir and cook for 30 seconds — blooming the spices releases their essential oils.
3. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, sugar, and a generous pinch of salt. Simmer uncovered for 12-15 minutes until the sauce has thickened and reduced by about a third.
4. Use the back of a spoon to make 6 wells in the sauce. Crack an egg into each well. Season the eggs with salt and pepper. Scatter the crumbled feta between the eggs.
5. Cover the skillet and cook over medium-low heat for 7-8 minutes. Check at 7 minutes — whites should be set but yolks should still jiggle.
6. Remove from heat. Scatter generously with chopped cilantro and parsley. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately in the skillet with crusty bread.