Ottolenghi Style Baked Eggs

Mathilde asked me to cook these Turkish style baked eggs that she saw in Yotam Ottolenghi's New Vegetarian Guardian column. I like a baked egg normally and this looked interesting so I made it.

Mathilde asked for the dish to be served on Saturday morning. There was no rocket in the local Co-op and I have no Turkish shops near me so getting the kirmizi biber (a Turkish spice) was out of the question. I substituted the rocket with spinach and I used paprika, cumin and chilli flakes instead of the kirmizi biber (that's ok though cos Yotam says you can use those spices instead)

What I did was cook the spinach in olive oil in a pan. That was then put in a oven dish with four eggs broken over it. The eggs and the spinach were then put in the oven until the eggs cooked (180 for about 10-15 mins). While that was in the oven I mixed one crushed garlic clove with a decent amount of Greek yogurt and added some salt.

For the spice sauce I melted some butter and added the spices. I just kept it warm but not frying hot.

When the eggs had cooked you simply spoon over the yoghurt and pour over the sauce.

I served it with mini pitta breads from the corner shop.

I've got to say this was one of the best breakfasts I've had in a while. The eggs were delicious with yolks that were set on the surface but still gooey inside. The yoghurt made the dish seem light and the spice laced sauce consolidated what could have been a sloppy mess into a whole of proper decent fragrant flavours.

Ottelenghi's style of cooking really does seem to go with the sunshine. It was the first breakfast of the year eaten in the garden. It seemed to make me appear to be a much better chef than I actually am. Mathilde and also Dom want me to make the baked eggs again next week but this time I'll get some rocket in advance.