Green Baked Eggs
Recipe, words & images by Harriet Davidson
The Easter long weekend is near, and with it, long slow mornings, a slight change in the air and a reminder to take a minute to switch off. This weekend for me has always felt like the welcome of autumn, the welcome of months to bunker down with people who light a spark in your world, and to drag out those heavier pots. It’s the weekend of hot coffee, the smell of toasting hot cross buns that are soon to be met with lashings of salted butter, lit candles and the humming of jazz.
I hope hot cross buns are a plenty on your long weekend morning table but this recipe is one for when you’re needing something savoury, something green and something that feels good in your stomach. This green baked eggs dish is inspired by both my mother’s spanakopita recipe, a favourite of mine, and a breakfast I had on my first trip to Paris at Café Oberkampf.
Nothing new here; the secret is getting the best ingredients you can - beautifully fresh greens (hi Kurrowong Organics) and the best eggs you can get your hands on will make all the difference. The sweet sautéed greens take on the flavour of the salted butter and garlic, and the addition of nutmeg and lemon are a nice balance to the creaminess of the feta and ricotta. This makes for the perfect nest for eggs to bake in. A lovely one for the long weekend when you’ve got a few guests and are wanting to sit down to hot eggs all together. Pop this in the middle of the table, toast a few slices of sourdough and let everyone scoop out a green baked egg.
I hope you have a lovely long, slow, and delicious weekend ahead.
Ingredients
1 bunch silver beet, or rainbow chard
1 cup fresh herbs (parsley, basil, dill are great)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 brown onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 tsp nutmeg
200g ricotta
200g feta
Rind and juice of one lemon, plus extra to serve
1/4 cup pine nuts
6 eggs
2 tbsp sesame seeds
Salt and pepper
Sourdough, to serve
Method
Serves 4
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Start by sautéing the onion in the heated olive oil and melted butter until softened, about 5 minutes, in a cast iron pan. Add in garlic and sauté for another few minutes before adding in chopped greens and herbs and mix to combine. You might need to add the silverbeet in batches letting each batch cook down before you add the next. Squeeze in lemon juice and let cook on a medium-to-low heat until greens break down. Meanwhile, toast pine-nuts in a cast iron pan for 5 minutes until just starting to brown.
Remove from both heat. In a separate bowl, combine ricotta, feta, two whisked egg, nutmeg, lemon rind, most of the pine-nuts (leaving a handful to serve) a pinch of salt and a good grind of pepper. Add the greens that have cooled slightly to this mixture and gently stir to combine. Pop this mixture back into the cast iron pan (or in an oven proof dish).
Using the back of a spoon, create four nests in the greens mixture to break your eggs into. Crack an egg into each, holding the egg as close to the mixture as possible to keep it from running. Crumble feta over the greens and sprinkle a touch of salt and a crack of pepper over each egg before placing in oven. Let cook for 15 minutes covered, and for another 10 uncovered, or until the whites of each egg are completely cooked and the yolks are to your liking.
Sprinkle over sesame seeds, some extra herbs and pop it straight on your table next to a pile of toasted sourdough.
Harriet uses our IN BED 100% linen napkins in french blue, placemats in white, an organic cotton waffle tea towel in navy and a linen tea towel in french blue. All props are Harriet’s own.