Sometimes, there are dishes which every housewife prepares. Maybe this is something to do with fashion or a special occasion during the year – before Christmas everybody prepares dishes with herrings or makes dumplings; before Easter we bake Easter Cakes or meals with meat; and before Fat Thursday we fry doughnuts or angel wings. Before the summer holidays everybody is trying to lose their winter tyre of fat and on the Internet there are porridges, healthy desserts with chia seeds and salads. Sometimes I also succumb to this fashion.

For some time in many ways the Tunisian shakshouka has tempted me. The literal translation of the name of this dish means "big mess", and really it is one of those meals which tastes better than it looks. In the original recipe shakshouka consists of tomatoes, onion, pepper and eggs. I also added to my shakshouka some garlic, chili pepper and courgette. In the summer season I recommend using fresh tomatoes; right now tinned tomatoes are a good choice. This dish isn't photogenic but it doesn't need to be. It delights with its lightness and flavour, and that's enough for me.

Ingredients (for two people)
1 tin of tomatoes
1 red pepper
half a courgette
half a chili pepper
2 cloves of garlic
1 onion
1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of butter
2 eggs
a fistful of minced parsley
a fistful of minced chives

Dice the onion, garlic and chili pepper. Melt the butter in a pan, add the paprika, onion, garlic and chili pepper and fry for a while. Add the tinned tomatoes, the sliced courgette and cubed red pepper. Stew for a few minutes until the vegetables are soft and the sauce is thick. Spice it up with salt and pepper. Add the minced parsley and mix it in. Add the eggs, don't mix them in, and boil until the egg whites are congealed. Serve on the pan. Decorate with the minced chives before serving.

Enjoy your meal!

Try also
Chickpeas with tomato sauce
Post-Christmas recovery time, i.e. wholemeal pasta with spinach and mozzarella cheese
Omelette with courgette and tomato salsa