SHAKSHUKA WITH ROASTED BANANA PEPPERS

   Back in Uni, eggs for dinner was a standard end-of-the-month staple (as was cereal, but let’s not go there.) Hard-boiled and tossed with dried oregano, salt, and pepper, and piled high on what Nigella calls ‘plastic’ bread – the cheapest kind you can find. Needless to say, I can never eat eggs the same way again. Every time I cook dishes like this now, I realize that with minimal effort and a little creativity and imagination it’s so easy to eat healthy, delicious food without breaking the bank.

I follow Yotam Ottolenghi’s basic shakshuka recipe (as one should) and tweak the spices every now and again. He has a harissa version in his book ‘Jerusalem’ that I’ve tried and love for its simplicity, but sometimes, just sometimes, I go all out with additional toppings – capers, olives, feta. I’ve never used banana peppers in a shakshuka before and the idea was a bit of a revelation to me. It just made sense.

   When I was travelling in Turkey a couple of years ago, menemen or Turkish style scrambled eggs—barely set eggs tossed in a subtly spiced tomato sauce with Turkish peppers—became an instant favourite. Since Turkish peppers are not available where I live, the closest alternative I could find was the banana pepper. You could add them as is, but roasting them beforehand intensifies the flavour and creates a slight smokiness that makes all the difference here. Served with a side of crusty bread, this is the kind of meal that effortlessly straddles the line between indulgent and virtuous (it is, after all, just eggs and a sauce) in the best possible way.