Last year, I asked my uncle what he wanted for his birthday – he very subtly hinted that he wanted a cook book called Persiana. Being the good niece that I am, I went to the shops and got the book. Before wrapping it, I flicked through it and came across a recipe for Persian Baked eggs – the images looked amazing so I sneakily took down the recipe and have never looked back!
This is an awesome dish for the weekend and looks really impressive if you have your friends coming over. It’s also not too hard to make – and trust me, this is coming from me and my cooking skills are non-existent! Here’s the recipe (sightly altered as this suited the consistency I wanted).
To serve 4 people, you will need;
– 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil
– 2 garlic cloves, bashed and thinly sliced
– 2 large red onions, thickly sliced
– 2 level teaspoons turmeric
– 1 teaspoon ground cumin
– 1 teaspoon ground coriander
– half a teaspoon ground cinnamon
– 3 tablespoons harissa (or one small pot)
– 2 large tomatoes, chopped
– 1 can of chopped tomatoes (400g)
– salt (I use low sodium)
– 1 bunch of coriander leaves, picked and roughly chopped
– 200-250g feta cheese
– freshly ground black pepper
– 6 large eggs (you could use more if you wish!)
– 1 red capsicum, sliced
– First, place a saucepan over a medium heat and add olive oil to coat the base.
– Lightly fry the red onions and garlic until soft.
– Add all the lovely spices (turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin and cinnamon).
– Stir and then add the harissa paste.
– Chuck all the tomatoes in the pan and season with salt.
– Add a pinch of chilli powder for an extra kick if you like!
– Now, it’s time to add the sliced capsicum.
– Reduce the heat and cover the pan. Leave for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
– While the above sauce cooks, pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6.
– After the sauce is cooked, pour it in to one large baking dish.
– Scatter some chopped coriander. Save some for garnishing later on.
– Chop the feta and sprinkle evenly over the dish, pushing it in to the sauce.
– Using a large spoon create six holes in the dish – crack the eggs in to the separate holes.
– Season well with pepper and salt – bake for 10-15 minutes until the whites of the eggs have turned opaque and are cooked through. The yolks should still be runny.
Remove from the oven and garnish with the remaining coriander. Sit back and enjoy with some warm crusty bread or naan. You will not regret making this dish!
Zohra's Rose: Lifestyle & Travel 