Vegetarian mains
Mirza ghassemi shakshuka
Mirza ghassemi is a dip made from smoky aubergines, tomatoes and slow-cooked garlic. Traditionally, beaten eggs are cooked into the sauce and it’s served with Persian flatbread. This recipe calls for baking whole eggs into it like you would with shakshuka. Great served as a breakfast or brunch with toasted sourdough, or Persian flatbreads if you can find some/fancy trying your hand at making them.
Ingredients
- 3 aubergines
- 6 large tomatoes
- 5 garlic cloves
- ½ red onion
- 15g parsley
- olive oil, for frying
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 4 eggs
- 10g crushed walnuts
Method
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Step 1
Blacken the aubergines and tomatoes by putting them directly on the flame on a gas hob or in a barbecue, turning regularly. The aubergines will take about 12-15 minutes (and should be soft and squishy to touch) and the tomatoes about 8 minutes.
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Step 2
Meanwhile, peel and finely slice the garlic and red onion. Chop the stalks away from the parsley and finely chop them. Chop the leaves separately.
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Step 3
Remove the tomatoes and aubergine from the flames and transfer them to a large bowl. Cover with cling film and allow to cool. Once cool enough to touch, carefully peel away and discard the burnt skins.
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Step 4
Gently fry the garlic in olive oil in an ovenproof pan until it starts to soften. Add the red onion to the pan and gently cook until both are soft. Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4.
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Step 5
Add the turmeric and parsley stalks to the pan and stir. Next add the flesh from the aubergines and tomatoes as well as the tomato purée. Use a wooden spoon to break the aubergines and tomatoes down into a chunky sauce. Stir and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes.
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Step 6
Use a spoon to make four wells in the sauce and crack the eggs into them. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes, until the eggs are cooked. Garnish with the chopped walnuts and parsley leaves. Serve with bread or Persian flatbreads.