Shakshuka for a Day Well Spent

What do you cook when you don't want to cook?

When I was a PhD student, I developed a few meals that I would make when I came home from the post-seminar pub, hungry and tired; or when I had a lot of grading to do; or when life became very hectic. They included:

• popcorn with cheddar cheese, apples, and hot chocolate
• quick tuna burgers  
• some kind of pasta situation
• kale or chard sauteed with garlic and chili over couscous, topped with a fried egg
  
• scrambled eggs on toast

There are, however, only so many scrambled eggs one can eat before becoming faintly repulsed by the taste, and in these situations, I would end of making shakshuka, a Tunisian of eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce. Today, when I got home from a lovely hike in the Peak District, I decided it would make a perfect quick dinner.

Ladybower Reservoir, 20 November 2021

I started making shakshuka based on Deb Perlman's recipe from her blog Smitten Kitchen, but adapted it for a solitary hungry diner, like so.

Shakshuka for One

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1-3 cloves garlic, depending on size and preference
• 1 small chili pepper, chopped
  
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
  
• salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 (or more) slices of bread
• butter
  

Start by slowly heating your oil while you chop the onion, then toss the onion in and chop garlic and chili. Add to the pot. 

Turn up the heat and give everything a nice stir--it should cook for a few minutes, enough time for the onions to soften and colour a bit. Add spices.

In less than a minute, you'll be able to smell the spices, and can then dump in your canned tomatoes. Stir so that the spices, onion, chili, garlic and tomatoes are all mixed together. Sprinkle with salt.

Let your tomato sauce cook for a bit while you locate eggs, toast, and butter.

Crack eggs into tomato sauce, and cover your pot with a lid so that the eggs cook before the tomato sauce scorches (if you have a hob that heats up quickly, or are prone to scorching food, turn the heat down at this stage).

Toast your bread to your liking; give it a nice coat of butter when it is done. 

Your eggs are done when the white has formed a thin, opaque film over the egg yolks, so that they are just invisible. If you like runny yolks, stop here; if you don't you may want to leave the pan on the heat a few minutes longer.

When eggs are cooked to your liking, transfer eggs and tomato sauce to a shallow bowl.

Eat with a spoon, using your buttered toast to mop up the egg yolks and tomato sauce.