Moroccan Merguez Ragout with Poached Eggs
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Author Notes: Merguez sausage is a distinctly spiced Moroccan sausage made of lamb that can be found in specialty food markets. If you cannot find merguez in your area, use whatever sausage suits your taste, but I particularly like Spanish chorizo. Harissa is a fiery condiment found on most North African tables and is used to spice up dishes to suit your palate. Ras el Hanout translates to "top of the shop" and refers to the top combination of spices a Moroccan spice vendor can sell. You can find both harissa and ras el hanout at www.gourmetfoodstore.com, or you can make your own. - ecswantner - epicureanodyssey
Food52 Review: We ate this for lunch and agreed it was the perfect meal for the middle of the day -- or the beginning of the day, or the end of the day. The spicy merguez (you can use hot Italian sausage if you can't find merguez or chorizo) is bathed in a lush, smoky sauce of tomatoes, onion, garlic and spices; when you cut into the soft eggs on top, poached right in the sauce, the buttery yolk combines with the rest of the dish and mellows any sharp edges. We found that we didn't need all of the oil, as the sausage gave off a lot of its own fat, so we just spooned off some of the extra oil before poaching the eggs. - A&M - A&M
Serves 4
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, small dice
- 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1 pound merguez sausage, sliced 1/2-inch thick
- 1 tablespoon ras el hanout, see note above
- 1 teaspoon Spanish sweet smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 15-ounce cans fire-roasted tomatoes, preferably Muir Glen
- 8 extra-large eggs
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro, stems included
- 2 tablespoons harissa, see note above
- warm crusty bread, for serving
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden. Toss in the garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add the merguez and sauté until almost cooked through, about 3 minutes.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and add the Ras el Hanout, Spanish smoked paprika and salt. Stir to combine and cook for a minute to lightly toast the spices. Add the tomatoes. Turn up the heat to medium and cook until the mixture has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Crack the eggs over the mixture, cover and cook until the whites set, but the yolks are still soft.
- Divide the eggs and ragout among four warm bowls using a large spoon. Top with a sprinkling of cilantro and a teaspoon of Harissa.
- Serve immediately with crusty bread.
- This recipe is a Wildcard Contest Winner!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Brunch Eggs
Tags: breakfast, doubled easily, eggs, Entrees, lamb
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about 1 month ago epicureanodyssey
Sdschorr, If you are in the mood, here is my version of merguez, which I don't put in casing.
Merguez Sausage
Recipe By: Emily C. Swantner, www.epicureanodyssey.com
Yield: 2 pounds sausage
SPICE MIX:
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon Spanish smoked paprika
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly toasted and crushed with a mortar and pestle
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, lightly toasted and crushed with a mortar and pestle
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cayenne chile
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly milled black pepper
FOR THE MERGUEZ SAUSAGE:
2 pounds ground lamb, with a minimum of 20% fat content
1 recipe Spice Mix
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1/2 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
extra virgin olive oil, for cooking
SPICE MIX:
In a small bowl, combine all the spices and mix well. Set aside.
FOR THE MERGUEZ SAUSAGE:
In a medium-large bowl, combine the lamb, Spice Mix, water, sherry vinegar, garlic, cilantro and garlic. Wet your hands with water, and knead to mix thoroughly. Pinch a small piece of the lamb mixture and cook in a little olive oil to check for seasoning. Adjust as necessary.
Portion the sausage into 2-ounce pieces, and roll into a cigar-like shape. Over medium-high heat, add a little olive oil to a medium fry pan. Add the sausage and cook until golden on one side, then roll the sausages so they cook evenly. They are best cooked to medium doneness. ALTERNATIVELY, you can grill the merguez to desired doneness. Set aside and keep warm.
about 1 month ago sdschorr
I couldn't find lamb sausage, so used pork chorizo from Whole Foods, which was delicious (although I think the merguez or even ground lamb would be better). I made my own ras al hanout--found a very easy recipe for that on epicurious: http://www.epicurious.com...
Served it with roasted sweet potato fries, fresh ricotta/bread and a leek and cauliflower soup. Total comfort food!
2 months ago Foodiewithalife
This recipe looks luscious! What is it about eggs that seem so ho-hum when hard boiled yet enticingly rich when left a little soft in the center? Just heaven.
Christina
www.foodiewithalife.com
4 months ago BoulderGalinTokyo
Absolutely wonderful. Making the ras el hanout took the most time, but the rest of the dish just came together so quickly. My husband who doesn't tolerate much 'fire' still liked it. My son's Thai girlfriend loved it so much she took the spices home with her. I found the recipe for the Merguez sausage on your website, I will make them next time. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
4 months ago epicureanodyssey
Yep, chocolatesushi, recipes are only a guideline. I always encourage people to use what they may have on hand!
4 months ago chocolatesushi
I make something very similar putting some kind of cheese on top (whatever is on hand) and putting it over pasta. i have also added pinto beans to add hardyness to it.
5 months ago epicureanodyssey
Why, thank you, Jumana. I love the addition of preserved lemons. I will give that a whirl next time around. Your comment makes me hungry for this dish, and I just happen to have some handmade merguez.
5 months ago Jumana
Excellent recipe. Made it today and it was so yummy! I added some diced preserved Meyer lemon to it and gave it a really fresh kick! I had this dish originally at cafe Medina in vancouver more than a year ago and had been thinking about it since then. So glad I found the recipe! Thanks for sharing!
8 months ago epicureanodyssey
Ooooooo, Emily, I'm going to use the crusty bread + fresh mozza tomorrow night. I'm so hungry for this dish...glad it was a hit with "the club"...the other Emily
8 months ago Emily
I should add that I took the warm crusty bread + fresh ricotta suggestion and it is a real winner. The dish is great with out it, but it really does make a stellar meal together.
8 months ago Emily
I made this for cookbook book club over the weekend and it was a huge hit! Now that I have the necessary spices, I can make it whenever I want, hooray! (also I subbed spicy pork sausage for the merguez, and it was still amazing.)
about 1 year ago staceya
I made this dish tonight for the first time and used soyrizo instead of the merguez...one word...SCRUMPTIOUS!!!! I absolutely loved the flavor combinations and I tried 2 new spices (ras el hanout and harissa)!! Can't wait to eat this again tomorrow!
about 1 year ago gratedknuckles
that looks soooooo good
about 1 year ago gratedknuckles
that looks soooooo good
about 1 year ago traveltothemax
I make it with toasted Italian bread buttered with fresh ricotta cheese ...the cool cheese under the hot tomato and eggs it is a
Defect meal!
about 1 year ago traveltothemax
Perfect meal!!
over 1 year ago epicureanodyssey
Foodiebiztraveler, glad you enjoyed the ragout! I have never used powdered harissa, in fact, I did not know it existed. I'm wondering if it is meant to be mixed with liquid. Doesn't matter, be creative and use it in whatever inspires you. Also, other things you can use ras el hanout in are Moroccan tangines, root vegetables roasted with prunes, etc. Check out Christine Benlafqui's Moroccan food blog at www.moroccanfood.about.... You can also contact me at my web site, www.epicureanodyssey.com and I will send you recipes using ras el hangout.
over 1 year ago foodiebiztraveler
SOOOO wonderful! Now I am wondering what else I can use ras et hanout for? Also I bought both powdered harissa and harissa paste. I sprinkled the powder on top at the end and it was delicious. Any thoughts on pros/cons of the two forms of harissa? I can't wait to make next time I have guests in from out of town.
over 1 year ago epicureanodyssey
Onlinepastrychef, breakfast, lunch, brunch or dinner, this is still one of my favorites. So delighted you enjoyed it! I am a Moroccan fiend, so don't be shy, ask away and I will reply. I have a huge Moroccan repertoire.
over 1 year ago onlinepastrychef
We just got our copy of The Food52 Cookbook a few weeks ago. I won it from another blogger, and I had promised to regift it if I won. When I did, my husband and I went through the book and chose 20-21 recipe that we found the most interesting/inspiring and have started a year-long blogging series called Food52sdays. My husband chose your recipe for our first inspiration recipe. We made our take on this (very close to your original) this past weekend, and here's how it went: http://pastrychefonline... Thank you so much for such a great recipe. We truly enjoyed it!
over 1 year ago Cookie16
I just bought a jar of harissa and ran across this again... I can't wait! I'm SO EXCITED to eat this. I'm thinking this will be a special New Year's Day brunch with Bloody Marys :)