Ojja

Ojja with Merguez

A spicy Tunisian skillet of tomato, peppers, and harissa, traditionally studded with merguez sausage and finished with eggs that poach right in the sauce. Serve with plenty of crusty bread to mop up the juices.

Prep

15 min

Cook

30 min

Total

45 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •450 g (1 lb) merguez sausage, spicy North African lamb sausage; substitute with spicy lamb sausage if unavailable
• •2 tbsp olive oil, or lamb fat for richer flavor
• •1 medium onion, finely chopped
• •4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• •2 medium green bell peppers, or a mix of green and red, chopped into 1.5 cm pieces
• •450 g (1 lb) ripe tomatoes, fresh, peeled and grated; or 400g canned crushed tomatoes
• •2 to 3 tbsp harissa paste, adjust to taste; Tunisian harissa preferred
• •1 tsp ground cumin
• •1 tsp sweet paprika
• •1 tsp salt, or to taste
• •0.5 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• •4 large eggs, at room temperature
• •1 handful fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped, for garnish
• •1 loaf crusty bread, for serving

Steps

1. 1 If using fresh tomatoes, score the bottom with an X, blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds, then transfer to ice water. Peel, quarter, remove seeds, and grate the flesh on the large holes of a box grater. Discard the skins.
2. 2 Prick the merguez with a fork and place in a cold skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of water, cover, and cook gently for 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until the sausages are cooked through and have released their fat. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 71°C (160°F) on an instant-read thermometer. Remove and set aside, leaving the fat in the pan.
3. 3 Add the olive oil to the rendered merguez fat in the skillet and set over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until softened and translucent.
4. 4 Add the sliced garlic and chopped peppers. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the peppers have softened and any liquid has mostly evaporated.
5. 5 Stir in the harissa, cumin, paprika, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant, stirring so the spices coat the vegetables.
6. 6 Add the grated or crushed tomatoes and stir well to combine. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, uncovered, until the sauce thickens enough that a spoon leaves a brief trail. Taste and adjust salt and harissa.
7. 7 Slice the cooked merguez into 1 cm coins and nestle them into the sauce. Make 4 wells in the sauce with the back of a spoon.
8. 8 Crack one egg into each well. Cover the skillet, reduce heat to low, and cook for 4 to 6 minutes until the egg whites are fully set but the yolks are still runny. Check that egg whites have turned opaque and are no longer translucent before serving.
9. 9 Scatter the chopped parsley or cilantro over the top. Serve immediately in the skillet, with crusty bread for scooping up the sauce and dipping the yolks.