Prep 35minBake 17minMakes 6 serves

Nestled in an aromatic, slightly spicy tomato and capsicum sauce and topped with tangy yoghurt, these baked eggs, originally from Tunisia, make for a wonderful centre-of-the-table brunch dish. Serve with pita bread and let everyone help themselves.

Ingredients

½ cup coriander leaves, to serve
pita bread, to serve
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 red capsicums, deseeded, cut into thin strips
1 red onion, halved, sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
2 x 400g cans diced tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 eggs
200g Greek-style natural yoghurt
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220ºC (200ºC fan-forced). Heat the oil in a medium frying pan or saucepan and cook the capsicum and onion over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until tender. Add the cumin and chilli flakes and cook for a further 1 minute or until aromatic. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until reduced to a good sauce consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Spread the sauce over the base of a shallow 1.5 litre capacity (6 cup) ovenproof dish. Use the back of a spoon to make 6 indents in the sauce. Crack the eggs, one at a time, into a small dish and then gently slide into the indents, taking care not to break the yolks. Combine the yoghurt, garlic and lemon juice and spoon half of this mixture around the eggs, in about 6 spoonfuls. Reserve the remaining yoghurt mixture for serving.
3. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the eggs are just cooked but still soft in the centre. Serve immediately sprinkled with pepper and coriander, and accompanied by the reserved yoghurt mixture and pita bread.

This recipe is from Anneka's SBS Food online column, Bakeproof: Autumn Brunch.

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Photography by Alan Benson.