Shakshouka baby!

When David and I decided to limit our meat and fish meals I borrowed a gigantic book from the library called World Vegetarian Classics by Celia Brooks Brown.  This past week I have literally drooled over most of the pages and pictures in the book and have devised a sort-of cunning plan...I do wonder if I could actually go 100% veggie....I don't think I could...I really love bacon, and pancetta and meat sauces and big roast dinners...not to mention roast pork with crackling.....but for health and environment we are going to try as hard as we can to limit those foods in our diet. 

On Friday night (after finally using up the bacon and chicken and other left over meats in the fridge) I attempted my first fully fledged veggie meal...Shakshouka...or Baked Eggs on Bell Peppers. According to the book this recipe originally came from Tunisia and is now found all over the Mediterranean and Middle East. 

It is basically fried/stewed onions and red bell peppers with a couple of cans of chopped tomatoes...my Italian roots would then tell me to add some balsamic and oregano and maybe some chilli pepper flakes...but THIS version from Tunisia uses brown sugar, vinegar, mint, mixed spice and chilli flakes. 

Once the pepper mixture has reduced enough you put it all in a baking dish and then break some eggs overtop...pop it in the oven and leave to set (I left it about 2 mins too long....but still delish!)

For me, the dish was too sweet.  The combination of the sweet bell peppers AND brown sugar was a bit too much for me.  I would try it again though...either following my Italian instincts...or just omitting the sugar.