Inspired by North African/Middle Eastern Shakshuka, this is a delicious and healthy weekend brunch of eggs cooked in a tomato, red pepper and bacon sauce lightly spiced with paprika and cumin.
In a large skillet/frying pan (choose one that has a lid), dry-roast the cumin for a couple of minutes to bring out the flavour.
Add the oil and bacon and fry for a few more minutes.
Add the onion and cook for yet another couple of minutes, then add the peppers, paprika, bay leaves, parsley & sugar and cook for a little longer to bring out the colour.
Now add the tin of tomatoes, then half-fill the empty can with water, swirl it around and add the water to the pan as well. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and let it all simmer for about 20 minutes. Add a little more water if it starts to get too dry (the consistency should match that of a pasta sauce).
Add a little salt and pepper to taste, then crack 4 to 6 eggs into the pan. Put the pan lid on and cook until the eggs are set to your liking (about 10 to 12 minutes – I cooked mine for about 12 minutes and I would have liked them a little runnier!)
Drizzle a little more olive oil over, sprinkle with the reserved fresh parsley and serve immediately, with pitta/flat bread (or any other kind of bread) if you like.
Notes
A few tips were taken from Yotam Ottolenghi's wonderful book Jerusalem: A Cookbook to make this dish.You can leave the bacon out and add a pinch of cayenne pepper or a little chopped chili if you would like it to more closely resemble the more traditional North African/Middle Eastern shakshuka.