If there’s one ingredient that’s always found in my kitchen cupboard it’s a tin of tomatoes. They’re like a reliable friend that you know will be there exactly when you need them.

They’re endlessly versatile and super budget-friendly. Take a tin of tomatoes and you have the start of a tasty, easy meal.

With a handful of other ingredients, many of which you’ll already have in your cupboards, you can whip up the perfect weekend brunch in no time at all.

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Easy shakshuka

Brunch, the new normal, still feels quite modern to me, even though it’s said to be almost 150 years old. Shakshuka is a classic brunch dish; it’s been modernised over the years to include more readily available ingredients.

Originating in North Africa, this version is closer to the shakshuka you’d expect to find in your local brunch spot with a few tweaks to make it easy to cook at 10am on a Sunday when you’re recovering from one too many tequilas.

• Suitable for batch cooking
• Suitable for freezing
• Vegetarian
• Gluten-free
• Dairy-free

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 roasted red (bell) peppers, either from a jar or roasted at home and sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped

Small bunch of coriander (cilantro), leaves and stalks separated, both chopped

1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried mixed herbs

Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

1 × 400g (14-oz) tin chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon tomato paste (concentrated purée)

4 eggs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

Thick slices of sourdough toast or crusty bread (optional).

Method

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan (skillet) with a lid over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and fry until soft, around 8–10 minutes.

Stir in the red peppers, garlic and coriander stalks and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring, before adding the paprika, ground cumin, dried mixed herbs and chilli flakes, if using. Cook for 1 minute, being careful that the spices don’t burn.

Stir in the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste and a good seasoning of salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook for 5 minutes.

Make 4 wells in the tomato mixture. Crack an egg into each one. (You can crack the egg into a cup or glass first, if that’s easier for you.) Put the lid on the pan and simmer gently for 6–8 minutes until the eggs are cooked to your liking.

Serve the shakshuka with the coriander leaves scattered on top and with slices of sourdough toast or crusty bread alongside for dipping into the sauce, if you like.

Storage

You can store the sauce for this shakshuka in the fridge for a few days or keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, defrost the sauce if frozen and reheat it until piping hot throughout, then crack in the eggs and cook as instructed above. DM

The Tinned Tomatoes Cookbook by Samuel Goldsmith, with photography by Mowie Kay, is published by Murdoch Books (R510). Visit The Reading List for South African book news – including recipes! – daily.