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Consider this: the most delicious egg dishes don’t ever hit the oven. Through culinary experiments, realizing that using a cover generates steam that gently cooks the eggs, yielding tender delicately prepared egg with firm whites and flowing center. The intense, dry heat of the oven proves harsher versus moist heat, and has a tendency to dry everything out and overcook the yolk. Presenting two flavorful bases to get started, but get creative. The first features an easy coconut turmeric blend, whereas the spicy sausage sauce reimagines eggs in purgatory, or, to the likes of you and me, eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce.

Golden Coconut Sauce Baked Eggs (shown above)

Preparation 10 min
Cook 55 min
Serves Two servings

Olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
Fine sea salt
Two garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Fresh ginger root, minced ginger
Turmeric powder
Cumin seeds
6-8 curry leaves
Coconut milk
Canned chickpeas
Basil leaves, plus extra to serve
4 eggs
Fresh chilies, julienned, to serve

Use a heavy skillet over medium-high flame. Drizzle olive oil, add the chopped onion seasoned with salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Incorporate aromatics and spices, leave to sizzle, occasionally stirring for a few minutes, pour in creamy liquid along with chickpeas and liquid. Heat until boiling, then turn down to a simmer, let it simmer for 30-35 minutes, when sauce is rich and yellow. Adjust seasoning, then stir in the basil leaves.

Use the back of a spoon making four indentations in the sauce, add eggs individually. Season eggs with a little salt, cover the skillet, simmer over low heat briefly, until the whites are set and the yolks just warm. Remove from heat, finish with a few extra basil leaves plus chili slices, then serve immediately.

Spicy Sausage Sauce with Tangy Peppers Steamed Eggs

Preparation Quick prep
Cooking time 45 min
Yields 2

Oil
Spicy lamb sausages
Spicy paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
Garlic cloves, sliced thin
400g good-quality tinned tomatoes
Salt
Fresh eggs
Pickled peppers, coarsely cut
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
3 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt
Fresh lemon, sliced into wedges, to serve

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot on a medium heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and, once it’s warm, remove the skins from the sausages and break off pieces adding to pan, like mini balls. Lower temperature, brown the meat slowly, extracting spicy fats. Stir merguez during cooking, to brown evenly.

After browning, add the harissa, cumin seeds and sliced garlic to the pan, adjust to moderate flame fry with mixing, for several minutes, until the mix smells fragrant, and garlic softens. Tip in the tomatoes, salt to taste let it bubble. Lower to gentle simmer and leave to blip away about 20 minutes. The ragu will reduce, intensify in color, as oils separate.

Employ utensil forming wells across base, break eggs in. Season eggs with a little salt, place lid on pan. Simmer briefly on low flame, until whites firm and the yolks just warm.

Remove from heat, garnish with peppers, herbs, yogurt dollop, and oil splash, accompanied by lemon.