A weekend with friends
There’s nothing nicer than getting away and whipping up a spread for your mates.
Ilove heading out of town and relaxing with friends, and wish I had the chance to do it more often! While away I am often, voluntarily, chief cook and bottle washer, and this is one of my favourite brunch dishes to whip up. You can make the tomato sauce and labneh the day before serving so that it is a simple matter of construction at breakfast time, or make the sauce as you go.
In the past I have battled with egg whites not cooking quickly enough, but find that if I keep the dips a little shallow, this speeds up the process (rather than popping them in a deep hollow in the sauce), as does popping a lid on top while they cook.
The labneh also makes a great spread or addition to cheeseboards, and can be flavoured with all sorts of aromatic extras, in this dish I particularly like the little zing of lemon and cumin to echo the shakshuka.
Cumin labneh Makes: 11⁄2 cups
FOOD
Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking time: Nil
450g Greek yoghurt (I used the Puhoi brand) 1 clove garlic, crushed Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
teaspoon sea salt 2 teaspoons toasted cumin seeds Olive oil* Wet a large piece of muslin and fold it in half. Lay it into a sieve placed inside a bowl, with enough space for liquid to pool in the bottom without touching the base of the sieve.
Whisk the yoghurt with the garlic, lemon zest, salt, and toasted cumin seeds. Pour it into the muslin and draw up the sides to enclose the yoghurt.
Twirl the top into a loose knot, then put in the fridge to drain for at least 4 hours.
I like my labneh soft so only leave it for 4 hours, but for a firmer consistency, you can keep draining it for 8 or even 12 hours.
Once it has reached your desired consistency, tip the cheese out and store it, covered in oil, in a sealed container in the fridge. I used mine straight away so you will see no oil in the picture.
Shakshuka Serves 4 Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking time: 55 minutes
2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons cumin seeds 1 small red onion, finely chopped 1 red capsicum, cored and chopped
1 red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tablespoon ground coriander 2 teaspoons caster sugar 800g crushed sieved tomatoes 400g tinned cherry tomatoes in juice 4-8 eggs (I used 6)
cup coriander leaves, to garnish
Turkish bread, toasted to serve Heat the olive oil in a large heavybased frying pan.
Add the cumin seeds and fry for 1 minute.
Add the onion, capsicum, chilli, and garlic, and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
Add the coriander, caster sugar, and tomatoes and juice, and cook a further 30 to 35 minutes until the sauce is rich and thick.
Test the sauce for seasoning and add salt and pepper after 15 minutes.
Make 4-8 shallow indentations in the hot sauce and drop a cracked egg into each one.
Cook the shakshuka for 10-12 minutes until the eggs are cooked through.
To speed up the setting of the whites you can pop a lid over the pan.
To serve, break up some chunks of labneh and dot over the shakshuka and sprinkle with coriander.
Serve with toasted Turkish bread and extra labneh on the side.
*If you are making the tomato sauce the day before, simply reheat it in a frying pan, adding a little water if necessary to thin, and continue with the above cooking method.
Recipes, food styling, and photography by Sarah Tuck