FODMAP Friendly by Georgia McDermott, Published by Macmillan Australia, RRP $34.99

“Given that the volume of onion and garlic in a standard café shakshuka could put me in bed for a week, I’ve
given up ordering baked eggs when I’m out in favour of making them at home. Although they’re a little labour
intensive, roasted capsicums are a great substitute for the sweetness of caramelised onion, and anything that
includes haloumi warrants a bit of extra elbow grease, as far as I’m concerned.” p.35

Roasted Capsicum and Haloumi Shakshuka

Serves 4
4 medium–large red capsicums
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 kg tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon harissa paste or chilli sauce (make sure it doesn’t contain onion or garlic)
1 teaspoon tomato paste
¼ piece preserved lemon rind
125 g haloumi, diced
1 small handful each of fresh mint and coriander leaves, or your preferred herb
juice of ½ lemon
4 eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with
baking paper.
2. Slice the capsicums in half, remove the seeds and lay them face down on the baking tray. Cook for at least 30 minutes, or until the flesh is soft and the skin has blistered and blackened. Once cooked, transfer them to a large bowl and cover with a cloth, to encourage them to sweat their skins off (aka what happens to me whenever the temperature reaches 26 degrees or higher).
3. Add the olive oil and tomatoes to a cast-iron frying pan over a medium heat (or you can use four small pans if you have them). Adding water as you see fit, cook the tomatoes down until they have the consistency of pasta sauce. Add the spices, sugar, harissa, tomato paste and preserved lemon, and gently stir to combine. Finally, add the haloumi cubes, herbs and the lemon juice, and stir gently to disperse throughout the mixture.
4. Using the back of a spoon, create a little indent for each egg, and gently crack each one into its designated spot. Turn the heat down to low, and cook extremely gently for a few minutes, alternating between placing a lid on and taking it off. Once the whites are cooked and the yolks still slightly runny, remove the pan from the heat and top with herbs and additional seasoning.
5. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes, so your guests don’t burn their hands on the pan, or their mouths on the shakshuka.