Libyan Bazin-Inspired Tomato Egg Skillet

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup barley flour or fine barley couscous
• 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped, plus 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 bell peppers, sliced
• 3 tbsp neutral oil or butter
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili flakes or harissa
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock or water
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 1 tsp fine salt, plus more to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley

Steps

1. Start the bazin base: bring 3 cups salted water to a boil, then rain in the barley flour in a thin stream while beating hard with a wooden spoon.
2. Cook over low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, beating constantly and scraping the base, until the mixture is very stiff and pulls away from the sides of the pan as one mass. Bazin is meant to be firm enough to shape, not loose like porridge.
3. Wet a bowl, pack the barley dough into it, and turn it out as a smooth dome. Keep it warm.
4. Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium heat and cook the onion and peppers with a pinch of salt for 10 to 12 minutes, until completely soft.
5. Add the garlic, cumin, and chili for 30 seconds, then the tomato paste, and cook for 2 minutes until it darkens.
6. Add the chopped tomatoes and stock and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until the sauce is thick and the oil separates at the edges.
7. Make four wells in the sauce with the back of a spoon and crack an egg into each. Cover and cook over low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until the whites are set and opaque but the yolks still move when the pan is nudged.
8. Check from 6 minutes, since residual heat keeps setting the yolks. Serve the skillet alongside the bazin with the cilantro and lemon wedges.

Allergen note: Contains gluten, dairy and egg.

Use the listed quantities as a guide, adjust seasoning to taste, and cook proteins to a safe internal temperature.