Serves 4
Hungry? Can I make a suggestion for Sunday morning brunch (or easy dinner even) – eggs baked in a warming, spicy tomato sauce, rich and fragrant with the addition of salty feta and olives. To finish off the turkish toast fingers wrapped in crispy prosciutto made for dipping into the soft yellow yolks are bloody magic – frankly they’d make a great drinks nibble on a Sunday afternoon! This recipe is part of a ‘mediterranean brunch’ spread that I put together for my lovely friends at Dish magazine a while back, and it’s definitely a keeper – so easy to make and packed with flavour!
Right then, in other news Hoob is currently asleep in his room (hurrah) on a fleeting trip to Auckland. I only have him in my clutches for a little while but will be enjoying every minute! Meanwhile Henry is exploring the idyllic Greek island of Paros and in the last stage of his epic European adventure before beginning the journey back to New Zealand – it feels like he has been there for aaages. In my department it’s pretty much same ‘ole same ‘ole – lots of work on (shot my next Dish spread last week), and have a heap more lined up to get finished…but it’s all good though, I am incredibly lucky to love what I do, so for much of the time I lose myself in the creative flow and it doesn’t feel like work at all. Even so all work and no play makes me a dull girl (‘woman’ I should say, God who wants to be a middle-aged woman ‘girl’!?) and I have had some lovely catch ups with friends of late, including a night out where negronis were the celebratory drink of choice (for me) when the only cause for celebration was being in a great mood and getting out of the house! Tonight I am whipping up a wee Sunday night feast of chicken pie, kumara and potato mash and green beans for some of my dearest mates – a proper l’il homey Sunday night dinner. Right haha, am in bed as always and I need to get my walk done before Hoob wakes up – time to go! Have a great week ahead and see you soon…
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 red onion, finely chopped
½ red capsicum, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 400gram tin cherry tomatoes
2/3 cup passata (sieved crushed tomatoes)
10 black olives, stones removed, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
4 eggs
100grams feta, crumbled
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
You will need 4 x 1 ¾ cup capacity ramekins
Preheat the oven to 200˚C and ensure the oven has two racks. Heat the olive oil in a large deep frying pan and cook the cumin for 1 minute. Add the onion and capsicum and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes until the onion is soft but not browned. Add the garlic, cherry tomatoes, passata, olives and chilli flakes and cook a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt (if needed) and black pepper and divide the tomato mixture between the ramekins. Make a large hollow in the middle of each one then crack eggs into the holes and bake for 15-18 minutes until the eggs are cooked. Stand for a few minutes then serve sprinkled with crumbled feta, parsley and poppy seeds, and Turkish toast soldiers on the side. Serves 4
turkish bread soldiers;
8 slices Turkish bread
100grams prosciutto
Wrap each slice of bread in a strip of prosciutto and place on an oven tray. Pop in the oven at the same time as the eggs and cook 8-10 minutes until crispy and golden.
