I decided to cook the recipe of the month on my Sainsbury’s calendar during 2018, and blog about the results. I haven’t quite managed to do the blogging bit during January, but I did cook the Shakshuka Flatbreads last Sunday evening.

First of all I made a decision that this recipe would not serve four, unless it was as a starter or light lunch. As a main meal it seemed more realistic to say it would serve two, which is handy, because my children wouldn’t eat it in any case.

I also decided to make one large flatbread rather than 4 small. I don’t have a fan oven, and getting 4 flatbreads evenly cooked would be challenging.

The end result was really tasty, but I’m still not sure I would make it again. It was quite fiddly to make, and seemed to require quite a lot of hands-on time. My preferred recipes either take some preparation followed by a long hands-off period while they’re in the oven (lasagne, shepherd’s pie, casseroles), or are quite last minute but pretty quick, like a Thai curry or a stir-fry. This didn’t really manage either.

The harissa and tomato sauce was absolutely amazing, and I have definitely been inspired to add a dollop of harissa paste to my own shakshuka recipe in future, but I think I am just too lazy and too busy to make this recipe a regular part of my repertoire.