Italianised Shakshuka with Pork Sausage

Hi!
{Image source: JefferyW, flickr}

What a pleasure to have my kitchen back! With the last game of South Africa in the World Cup, I wanted to make something completely non-partisan, and after some suggestions to my spaghetti and meatballs post last week, I decided to make an Italianised Shakshuka. Shakshuka is something I will (ignorantly) admit to never having heard of before, but LadyRaven over at Add to Taste let me know in the comments, that poaching the egg in the tomato sauce was an Israeli dish called shakshuka. You can see her recipe for the real deal breakfast version here. I, on the other hand, as we know, can never stick to a recipe. So when I researched shakshuka a little and discovered that it's usually in a pretty spicy sauce, that struck a chord. And off I went.

{Image source: avlxyz, flickr}

This is a spicy, tomatoey (?), delicious dish with the surprise of a poached egg and some pork sausage. Frozen sausages are something I usually have in the house, and while there are better versions out there, nothing beats not having to go to the shop of an evening. The convenience gets me every time. You want something with just enough spice to heat you up? Enough protein to make the average South African sing? And to top it all off, we serve it on pasta, carb of kings! So get on, boys and girls, and make this tonight!

Italianised Shakshuka with Pork Sausage

Ingredients:
4 pork sausages
1.5 cans tomato and onion  mix
2 fresh tomatoes, diced (I had two in the fridge, which were heading into overripe territory, but this isn't crucial)
Half a yellow pepper, diced
250ml frozen peas
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp mixed Greek herbs (rosemary, thyme, origanum, etc.)
2 eggs (to serve 2 people)

Pasta to serve

Method:

1. Cook the pasta according to package instructions, drain and set aside, keeping warm.
2. Heat a little oil in a frying pan, and brown the sausages.
3. When the sausages are browned, turn down the heat to medium and add the yellow pepper and tomatoes.
4. Clear a little space on the side, and fry the cumin and cayenne pepper until fragrant, then mix in with the rest.
5. Sprinkle the Greek herb mix over, and stir to mix in.
6. Pour the tomato and onion mix over, first the first can only. If it seems to be boiling dry, you can add the other one, but it might be fine. My stovetop is insane, and gets hot and stays hot on the lowest settings, so things tend to boil away quicker.
7. Heat the mixture through, and simmer for a few minutes.
8. Remove the sausages from the mixture, and chop into bite size piece. I usually slice them in half long ways, and then roughly chop them into pieces. Cover, and set aside.
9. Bring the tomato mixture to a simmer, break the eggs carefully into the tomato mixture, cover and leave for about 10 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked to your liking. (I overcooked mine a bit last night, because the tomato mixture had cooled down too much - go figure! - and took a while to heat, dispersing the egg before it had time to set. It was still yummy, but not as lovely looking)
10. Remove the eggs from the tomato and keep warm. Return the chopped sausage to the pan, heating the sausage through before serving.
11. Serve the pasta into a bowl (we used fusilli, the screw pasta, but anything will do) and spoon the tomato mixture over it, placing the egg on top. 

This is a lovely spicy addition to the week, especially in this ridiculously cold weather! It's a spicier, less labour intensive version of the spaghetti and meatballs, and incorporates two cultures dishes into one delicious bowl!