Tunisian Ojja with Merguez and Eggs

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the vegetables

   Dice the tomatoes. Core the pepper and cut it into strips. Finely chop the garlic and chop the parsley for garnish.

   
2. 2

   Brown the merguez

   Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, turning them from time to time, until browned all over. Transfer them to a plate; they do not need to be fully cooked yet.

   
3. 3

   Soften the pepper and toast the spices

   Add the pepper to the same pan and cook for 5 minutes, until softened but still holding its shape. Add the garlic, harissa, ground caraway, and ground cumin. Stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant, taking care not to burn the garlic.

   
4. 4

   Cook the tomato sauce

   Add the tomatoes, black pepper, and salt. Cook uncovered over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and the sauce thickens enough that a short trail remains on the bottom of the pan when you draw a spoon through it. Return the sausages to the pan and simmer for 3 minutes.

   
5. 5

   Cook the eggs in the sauce

   Make four wells in the sauce and crack an egg into each one. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks are still soft. For firmer yolks, cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.

   
6. 6

   Finish and serve

   Remove the pan from the heat, drizzle the sauce with lemon juice, and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately with the bread, sliced.