Moroccan Eggs

I came across this recipe on Food 52 (http://www.food52.com/recipes/534_moroccan_merguez_ragout_with_poached_eggs). The photo alone looked worth eating. Yummy! I love spicy Moroccan flavors. I love eggs. And I love experimental cooking. So last night a friend and I tackled this recipe. My adaptations are written in my recipe below. I don't have access to an Arabic grocery store, so we improvised the best we could. I think (having never tasted the authentic dish) we created something pretty tasty.

Here's my pic. Not nearly as beautiful as the one on Food 52. Maybe I need to practice my photography.

Moroccan Churizo Ragout with Poached Eggs
(and homemade spice mixes)

First we created the spice mixes called for in the recipe.

Ras el Hanout
1 pod cardamon
1 tsp ground dried ginger
1 small piece of nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 or 4 allspice seeds
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground mixed pepper
1/2 ground cayenne

All placed in an electric coffee grinder reserved for blending spices and whirled around until powdery.

Harissa
4 dried hot chilies, the skinny red ones that are about three inches long
1/2 tsp salt (Although I thought it was a little salty. Next time I will use less salt.)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil

The first five ingredients are placed in the aforementioned electric coffee grinder and whirled around until powdery. Add this to a small bowl with the garlic and olive oil and smash it with a spoon until blended. (Or use a mortar and pestle if you have one, I do not so I used the bowl and spoon method.)

Ragout
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 pound churizo sausage
1 tbsp ras el hanout
1 tsp paprika (The recipe called for Spanish sweet smoked paprika. I had plain paprika so that's what I used.)
2 15oz cans fire-roasted tomatoes, diced
8 large eggs
1/2 cilantro chopped
2 tbsp harissa

Saute the onions in the olive oil until translucent and slightly golden brown. I used my enambled cast iron deep-dish skillet for this recipe and it worked great. When the onions are translucent add the garlic. Let it cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring occassionally.

Add the churizo in small chunks. It will melt down pretty quickly. When the sausage is mostly cooked, add the ras el hanout, paprika, and cans of tomatoes. Cook until the mixture has thickened, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Gently crack the eggs right over the tomatoe ragout evenly spaced throughout the pan. Place a lid on the dish and let cook. I'm not sure how long it should take. I checked mine after about three minutes and they were still very underdone. I came back three more minutes later and the yolks were almost solid. Overdone. You want the whites cooked and the yolks still runny.

Serve. Sprinkle each plate with cilantro and harissa. Serve with crusty bread.

I also served the Mediterranean Kale in gave the recipe for in a previous post. It went very well.