What to Cook for Brunch: An Israeli Breakfast Spread From Erez Komarovsky

Erez’s shakshuka, eggs poached in a spiced tomato and pepper sauce, is the centerpiece for a reason: it’s a one-pan dish that goes straight from stove to table, and it’s forgiving enough to make ahead and reheat the sauce while the eggs cook fresh. Serve it straight from the pan with bread for scooping.

A brunch spread needs contrast to the rich, hot shakshuka. Erez’s cucumber and mint salad is a clean, cold counterpoint, quick to make while the shakshuka simmers, and it resets the palate between bites.

Fire-roasted eggplant salad adds real depth to the spread, eggplant charred directly over flame, then broken down into something smoky and soft. It holds up well at room temperature, so it’s one less thing to time around the eggs.

For a brunch that leans more toward “occasion” than “Sunday morning,” Erez’s vineyard breakfast pairs wine, cheese, and eggs, a different mood than the Israeli spread, but the same instinct: real food, shared, without much fuss.

None of these dishes need to be timed to the minute. Make the eggplant salad first since it holds, prep the cucumber salad while things are in the oven, and start the shakshuka last so the eggs come out just set. Put everything on the table at once, family-style, with bread on the side.

The tomato sauce for shakshuka and the fire-roasted eggplant salad both keep well in the fridge for a couple of days, only the eggs need to be cooked fresh, and the cucumber salad is quick enough to make right before serving.