Chachouka merguez

Serves 4

Relax. I'm not expecting you to make your own merguez. You can buy these beef sausages spiked with harissa fairly easily these days. If you know a butcher who makes his own sausages they might be persuaded to make some. Don't be put off cooking - or eating - this North African dish, even though it looks a bit like it sounds. It's delicious for breakfast, as a lunchtime snack or as a mezze dish.

Relax. I'm not expecting you to make your own merguez. You can buy these beef sausages spiked with harissa fairly easily these days. If you know a butcher who makes his own sausages they might be persuaded to make some. Don't be put off cooking - or eating - this North African dish, even though it looks a bit like it sounds. It's delicious for breakfast, as a lunchtime snack or as a mezze dish.

2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
3tbsp olive oil
2 red peppers, quartered, seeded, skin removed and thinly sliced
4 tomatoes, skinned, seeded and roughly chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 merguez sausages
2 eggs, beaten

Gently cook the onions in a heavy-bottomed pan with a lid on, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes until soft but not coloured. If they begin to darken, add a tablespoon of water. Add the peppers and continue to cook with a lid on for another 4-5 minutes on a low heat, then add the tomatoes. Season and simmer for another 5 minutes with the lid on until the tomatoes have broken down.

Meanwhile cook the sausages under a hot grill for 4-5 minutes, then remove and cut each into 3 and add to the pepper mixture. Turn up the heat, stir in the eggs and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring a couple times so you end up with streaks of eggs through the mixture, but don't cook it for too long or you will end up with an omelette. Serve immediately.