BAKED EGGS WITH SEASONAL GREENS

We’re packing as much of the good green stuff into these baked eggs as we can, so they’re not only delicious, but pretty healthy too. Spinach and kale are our greens of choice here, but you could use chard, spring greens, Brussels tops or even shredded savoy cabbage. There’s a crunch on top, which comes from a sprinkling of breadcrumbs and a dusting of Parmesan cheese, although they’re good they’re not needed – it’s an added extra we enjoy.

Preparation time 10 minutes | Cook time 20 minutes | Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 knob of organic butter
1 small leek, halved, rinsed, and thinly sliced
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
2 handfuls of kale leaves, stripped from the stalk and roughly chopped
200ml of organic double cream
2 Stonegate Estate Organic eggs
A small handful of breadcrumbs
A scattering of grated hard cheese, such as Parmesan
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the kale and spinach. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the kale is tender. Drain and when cool enough to handle, squeeze out the excess liquid from the greens, roughly chop and set aside.

Place a smallish, ovenproof pan or dish over a medium/high heat. Add the 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the butter and when it’s bubbling away, add the sliced leek and a little salt and pepper. Sauté the leek for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the cooked kale and spinach leaves to the pan. Give everything a good stir, then pour in the cream. Bring the creamy greens up to a simmer, stirring regularly. Season lightly and continue to cook until the cream has thickened slightly, and you have a delicious tasting sauce.

At this point, carefully crack in the eggs, one at a time. Season them lightly, scatter a sprinkling of breadcrumbs over the top, trickle with the remaining olive oil, then place the whole pan in the oven for 5 minutes to bake. Keep an eye on the eggs as they are cooking, it might be that your oven is particularly efficient, and the eggs are ready a bit sooner.

Either way, once they are done, whip the pan out the oven and bring to the table, with a few slices of crunchy buttered toast.

Note – You can easily make individual versions of this recipe by dividing the creamy greens between two smaller dishes and cracking 1 egg in each.

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