Shakshuka (V) from COOK: Serve Up Joy

“This middle eastern classic is a bit of a wonder dish, packed with veg, protein and big flavours. It’s one of those recipes where anything goes – take the outline and make it your own. definitely make extra to freeze, if you can. reheat what you need from frozen in the microwave, then transfer to a pan to cook the eggs – it makes a truly epic weekend brunch served with our flatbreads.” The COOK Kitchen, authors of COOK: Serve Up Joy

Serves 4

For the roasted vegetables

1 large aubergine, chopped into large chunks

1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and sliced

1 green pepper, cored, deseeded and sliced

½ cauliflower (about 280g/10oz), separated into florets

6 tablespoons rapeseed oil

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

½ teaspoon chilli flakes

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground allspice

Salt and pepper

For the sauce

2 onions, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

10g (1/4 oz) flat leaf parsley, leaves picked and stalks finely chopped

10g (1/4 oz) fresh coriander, leaves picked and stalks finely chopped

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika

½ teaspoon chilli flakes

1 × 400g (14oz) can chickpeas, drained

2 × 400g (14oz) cans chopped tomatoes

6 dried apricots, chopped

4 eggs

For the flatbreads

200g (7oz) self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting

200ml (7fl oz) natural yoghurt

Pinch of ground cumin

Pinch of sea salt

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.

To make the roasted vegetables, place the aubergine, peppers and cauliflower in a large roasting tray lined with nonstick baking paper. Drizzle with 4 tablespoons of the oil and add all the spices. Season, then toss to combine. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, tossing the vegetables halfway through, until they are tender and golden.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Place a large ovenproof frying pan or wide, shallow casserole pan on a medium heat. Add the remaining oil to the pan, along with the onions, garlic and parsley and coriander stalks. Fry for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the spices and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chickpeas and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring, until they are well coated in the spice mix and starting to dry out a little.

Add the tomatoes, then fi ll one of the cans with water and add that to the pan as well. Add the apricots, bring the sauce to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Season, then allow the sauce to reduce for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the roasted vegetables are cooked, carefully fold them into the sauce and allow to bubble for a further 10 minutes.

To make the flatbreads, mix the flour, yoghurt, cumin and salt together by hand in a large mixing bowl to form a dough. Cover and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

Divide the rested dough into four evenly sized pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough into a disc about 1.5cm (⅝ inch) thick. Heat a frying pan until hot and cook each disc for about 1 minute on each side until golden.

Next, make four wells in the shakshuka sauce and crack the eggs into them. Now you can either place the pan back in the oven to allow the eggs to set or keep the pan on the hob, cover with a lid and allow the eggs to steam on a medium–low heat for 10–15 minutes, or until cooked to your liking. Scatter the parsley and coriander over the shakshuka and serve with flatbreads.