Egyptian Baked Eggs

I’ve been thinking of breakfast quite a lot lately. Or to be exact, more about brunch.

The thing is, just two months ago I moved to the land of the Scots. And while haggis, shortbread and whiskey rein supreme, my lovely new city has only just embraced what us Australians have treasured for so long…the wonders of all day breakfast.

Perhaps as an ode to times past, or perhaps as a sort of breakfast stimulus package for Edinburgh, I’ve decided to blog one of my favourite brunch ideas; Egyptian baked eggs. Who knew that chickpeas and cumin taste good this side of 12’o’clock?

This recipe serves three, but if you choose to double this recipe please use two baking dishes, as your eggs won’t set properly in one.

Ingredients

• 1 brown onion, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 400gm tin of chopped tomatoes
• 400 gm tin of drained chickpeas
• 6 medium free range eggs
• 1 generous handful of baby spinach

• Fresh flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

*Optional side:

• Steamed asparagus with lemon and macadamia nut oil

Method:

Preheat your oven to moderate (350*F/180*C).

Lightly grease a medium sized baking dish with macadamia nut oil.  Choose a vessel that you have a lid for.

Splash some olive oil into a skillet, place on the stove top, and fry onion on a medium heat until golden brown. You’ll know the pan is hot enough when you add a little onion and it sizzles slightly. Add spices and heat until fragrant (aka, heavenly scents rise..) this should take one minute.

Add tinned tomatoes and chickpeas and simmer until acidity has dimmed slightly. A tip is to add a pinch a sugar if you feel the tomato flavour is too strong.  Add baby spinach and stir through until wilted.

Remove from heat and carefully pour the tomato ragout  into the prepared baking dish.  Using a tablespoon, craft six little craters in the sauce and gently crack the eggs into each.

Place the lid over your dish and bake in the oven for around 10-15 minutes. You will know the eggs are ready by removing the lid and lightly poking the tops. The consistency should be like that of a poached egg: firm, but still with some give.

To serve, scoop out eggs one at a time and serve with the chickpea ragout.  Scatter parsley over the top and season with sea salt and cracked pepper.

Be warned that this dish is totally incomplete without bread. If desired, also steam asparagus and serve with a drizzle of lemon and macadamia oil.

Optional additions

• Baby capers are another nice addition. I would use these instead of the spices. Add in with the baby spinach before baking the eggs
• To make this meal for dinner, serve with wild rice and yogurt raita.

Enjoy!