I discovered this fact when I found shakshuka, a Tunisian casserole traditionally served for breakfast. Hangovers fear the meal of spicy sausage and poached eggs, but shakshuka tastes great any time of day (or in any state of mind). It’s hearty. It’s healthy. It’s crave-inducing.

Shakshuka jumped me while I was walking through a dodgy flea market in Jaffa, Israel. Over the sounds of persistent peddlers, I heard the soft sizzle of what could only be meat cooking over an open flame. Then it hit me: sausage, peppers, tomatoes, and paprika—lots of it. I followed the smell.

Set between a kitschy furniture outlet and a series of odd flea-market stands, I found a man behind a skillet: Dr. Shakshuka, who owns Dr. Shakshuka at 3 Beit Eshel, Tel Aviv 6802503, Israel. The doctor is a plump little Libyan-Israeli chef who, as far as I’m concerned, knows at least three words of English. The first is “try.” The second is “more?” And the third? You’ll have to go there yourself to find out (it comes with a sly wink and a hearty belly laugh).

Luckily for us, Dr. Shakshuka (real name Bino Gabso) is a generous man, and shared his recipe for his Royal Chef episode-winning version of this sizzling dish.

Shakshuka 
Recipe by Bino Gabso (a.k.a Dr. Shakshuka)

What you’ll need:
¼ cup vegetable oil
10 cloves garlic, minced
½ lb. merguez sausage, casings removed
3 spicy green chile peppers, such as Anaheim, jalapeno, or Serrano, cut into strips
6 tomatoes, sliced
½ Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp hot paprika
½ Tbsp sweet paprika
8 eggs
Warmed pita, for serving

How to make it:
1. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sausage and peppers and cook until the sausage browns, about 2 minutes for two minutes. Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the salt and paprika. Stir until well combined.
2. Lower the heat to medium-low and carefully crack in the eggs. Cook until the whites of the eggs set, 3 to 5 minutes, popping the egg white bubbles with the tip of a sharp knife. (That way, the sauce won’t explode all over your kitchen.) Remove the skillet from the heat and serve with pita.