Sunday Brunch: Mediterranean 'Baked' Dippy Eggs

It was a drizzly grey Sunday; perfect for staying inside and taking some guilt-free time out from the world, shamelessly watching musicals on television and drinking mug after mug of hot sweet tea. It was the first Sunday I've stayed in at home for a while and by pure chance my boyfriend decided to spontaneously visit, so what better way to start the day than a delicious brunch?

I'm normally one for making pancakes, a vague version of Eggs Benedict, or a classic fry up. However, this time I wanted something a little different; something tasty and full of goodness but still indulgent.  I considered what I already had in my fridge, popped out in the rain to my local shop to pick up a few little extras, and set to work, chopping up ingredients and throwing them into the pan when it felt right.

I'm the sort of cook who will need to follow a recipe book if I'm making anything slightly off of my usual beaten track. I need guidelines, measurements and steps to follow. This time, however, I decided to make it up as I went along, building on basic knowledge gained from briefly looking at similar recipes in the past.

The end result? Delicious, rich, tasty and satisfying. This recipe contains plenty of healthy vegetables, a sprinkling of cheese (who can resist indulgence on a Sunday?) and some fresh bread to top it all off. What's more, it's incredibly easy!

So here's how to make my Mediterranean 'Baked' Dippy Eggs:

You will need:

• Half a courgette
• A handful of mushrooms
• Two handfuls of cherry tomatoes
• Half a red pepper
• Half leek
• One clove of garlic
• Half an onion
• Half a chorizo, sliced
• Four eggs
• Sliced black olives
• One can of chopped tomatoes
• A little feta cheese
• Dried oregano
• A few leaves of fresh basil
• Olive oil
• Fresh bread (I bought a loaf of Mediterranean bread)
• Large frying pan (with a lid) 

This was made for two people although it would have comfortably fed three or four. But who's going to judge? Especially when it's this delicious...

Firstly, chop up all of your vegetables. You want them to be fairly chunky; I suggest halving the cherry tomatoes (it's a great way to use up vegetables which are just about to turn)

Pour a glug of olive oil into the pan and pop in your garlic, chopped onion and sliced leek. Stir until soft. Add your chorizo and allow to cook, the oil turning the vegetables a delicious orange colour.

Add the rest of your chopped vegetables and cook steadily until they're softening but not over-cooked.

Pour in your tin of tomatoes and stir in. Allow to bubble away and reduce. 

Mix in your olives and season with salt and pepper and a dash or dried oregano.

Once the tomato juice has reduced a little, make a small well in one quarter of the pan and break in an egg. Do this for each egg, in each quarter.

Put the lid on the pan and allow the eggs to cook for five minutes (or until intuition tells you they are cooked with a runny yolk)

While the eggs are cooking, wrap the bread in foil and warm through in the oven.

Once the eggs are almost done to your liking, take them off of the heat and crumble the feta and basil over the top.

This is best served straight from the pan: place on a heatproof surface, break up the bread and tuck in.

How's that for a hearty, healthy brunch?

Let me know if you end up making this - I'd love to know how you get on! What's your favourite way to cook your eggs in the morning?

Jo 

xxx