CAPSICUMS
EGGS CODDLED IN A SPICY CAPSICUM AND TOMATO SAUCE
The perfect dish for brunch or a busy weeknight meal. Make it as mild or as spicy as you like by adjusting the paprika. Generally Spanish paprika is less intense than its Hungarian counterpart. Use smoked paprika if you want a deep woodsy flavour.
PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes | COOKING TIME: 30 minutes | SERVES: 6
¼ cup (60 ml/2 fl oz) olive oil
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 large red capsicum (pepper), deseeded and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2/3 cup (400 g/14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes with juice
11/3 cups (200 g/7 oz) fresh cherry tomatoes
sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup (100 g/3½ oz) crumbled feta (optional)
6 eggs
2 tablespoons chopped coriander (cilantro)
6 corn or wholegrain tortillas
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium–low heat. Add the onion and capsicum, and cook gently for up to 15 minutes, until very soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper, and cook for a further 1 minute. Tip in both the tinned and fresh tomatoes and then add salt to taste. You may need a little pepper to balance the heat of the paprika and cayenne. Simmer gently for about 8 minutes, until the fresh tomatoes have started to collapse. Stir in the feta, if using.
Make six holes in the mixture with the back of a large spoon and gently crack an egg into each of the holes. Season the eggs with a little salt and pepper, put the lid on the pan and leave to cook over moderately slow heat for exactly 5 minutes. The egg whites should be just set with a hint of a wobble and the yolks should be runny in the middle. (Remember, they will keep cooking once you take them off the heat.) Scatter with fresh coriander and serve with warm tortillas.
TIP In some sauce- or stew-like recipes, tinned tomatoes are a better choice because they are densely packed and have a high concentration of flavour that is not affected by heat.