Shakshuka

This fragrant tomato stew and egg dish from North Africa’s Maghreb region is perfect for a lazy Sunday brunch. Photo by Tanner Boyles

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

For spice blend

4 tablespoons cumin seeds

2 tablespoons caraway seeds

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

3 tablespoons black peppercorns

2 tablespoons cloves

1 tablespoon cardamom seeds, removed from shells

3 tablespoons ground turmeric

For stew

¼ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup chopped garlic

½ tablespoon Aleppo pepper

2 tablespoons spice blend

1 tablespoon piment d’espelette (substitute paprika if desired)

1 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped (preferably heirloom tomato)

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano whole tomatoes

½ tablespoon lemon juice

¼ cup chopped parsley

¼ cup dill

¼ cup cilantro

¼ cup mint

4 eggs

Whole parsley, dill, cilantro and mint leaves for garnish

A few slices of good crusty bread for dipping

INSTRUCTIONS

To make spice blend: Toast cumin, caraway, coriander, clove and black peppercorns in a pan over low heat until fragrant. Put all ingredients except turmeric into a spice grinder and blend until fine. Add blended spices and turmeric to a medium bowl and combine well. Store in a glass jar for use.

To make shakshuka stew: Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and stir so that it doesn’t burn or stick to the pan. Once garlic is soft, add Aleppo pepper, spice blend and piment d’espelette to toast the spices. When the spice mixture is fragrant, add fresh tomatoes and stir to soften them for about 2 minutes. Add canned tomatoes and season with salt. Continue to cook the stew for about 30 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently. Add lemon juice and fresh herbs and remove saucepan from heat. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To serve: Preheat oven to 400°. Pour stew into a 10-12” cast iron pan. (If you are serving the stew after it has been cooled, warm it up in a saucepan before putting it in the cast iron pan.) Crack four eggs on top of warmed stew. Place cast iron pan in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the egg whites have set and the yolk is still runny. Remove from the oven. Garnish with some of the reserved herbs and a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil. Serve in bowls with crusty bread for dipping.