SHALOM

Waking up on a beautiful day after a nice sleep in warrants making a delicious brunch. After a stroll to the local markets to pick up some fresh produce (and an atomic-grade coffee), the nearly 1kg of tomatoes and I made our way back home to cook the popular Israeli breakfast dish, Shakshouka. Put simply, a dish of simmered tomatoes, capsicum and spices with eggs poached atop.

And what a revelation. This dish is divine, however it's not one to make in a hurry. Simmering of the diced tomato and capsicum took nearly 30 minutes - but the wait is most definitely worth it. The ground cumin, paprika and garlic make it something far more special than just 'eggs with tomato'.

shakshouka

  4tbsp olive oil - plus extra to drizzle

  1 chopped onion (I used 2 spring onion - also works great)

  5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

  1 long red chilli, finely chopped

  1 red capsicum, finely chopped

  800g ripe tomatoes, chopped

  1tsp ground smoked sweet paprika

  1tsp ground cumin

  8 large eggs

Heat oil in a large frying pan (ensure it is large enough for both tomato mixture and eggs) over medium heat.  Add garlic, onion, chilli and capsicum and cook, stirring for 5 minutes or until onions are golden.  Stir in tomatoes and spices and cook, stirring occasionally, for a further 25 minutes or until thickened.  Season with salt and pepper.  Make small indentations in the mixture and crack an egg into each one.  Cover and cook for a further 6-8 minutes or until eggs are cooked to your liking.  Drizzle with olive oil and serve with crusty bread.

Simply delicious = brunch love on a plate.