Eggs poached in a bold tomato sauce and served with pita bread is a meal that many cultures have made their own. You may know it as Eggs in Purgatory, but I call it shakshuka, thanks to an Israeli friend who introduced me to the dish years ago.

Beyond the tomato base and the eggs that cook in it, the dish is a blank canvas for variations. In this version, for example, there are no peppers but there is a generous dose of aromatic garlic. But you could add or substitute onions, shallots or leeks. It is seasoned with an earthy Mideastern mix of spices: cumin, coriander, paprika and a little crushed red pepper flakes.

I add them with a light hand so the dish is deeply flavorful but not intensely so. You can add more or less as you please, or go a different direction, skipping these spices and adding dried herbs such as oregano, basil and thyme. You also can incorporate whatever vegetable you want or happen to have on hand: Sliced bell peppers, baby spinach leaves, broccoli, asparagus or zucchini all work well.

Here, it's Swiss chard, which I adore and think is a bit of a sleeper in the vegetable world, deserving of more attention than it gets. It is almost like two vegetables in one, with stems that provide a celery-like texture and leaves that are akin to spinach. The chard's leaves and stem are separated and chopped, then the stems are cooked with the spices and garlic. The leaves are added later, just before the eggs go in. Dollops of soft goat cheese are scattered in (you could go with feta or mozzarella instead) to melt as the eggs cook to runny-yolk perfection. Fresh parsley finishes the dish.

Eat this shakshuka for breakfast, lunch or a light dinner, and enjoy it knowing there are dozens, if not hundreds, of variations, and many more healthful, satisfying, inexpensive and easy meals are in your future.