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Consider this: the most delicious egg dishes don’t ever hit the oven. Through culinary experiments, discovering that covering the pan generates steam to cook the top of the eggs, resulting in perfectly cooked delicately prepared egg with firm whites and a warm, runny yolk. The harsh, arid temperature from baking acts stronger than steam, typically causing to dehydrate ingredients resulting in firm yolks. Here are two sauce options as a jumping-off point, encouraging customization. Option one involves a straightforward coconut turmeric blend, and the second offers a merguez ragu reimagines classic tomato-baked eggs, essentially, eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Baked Eggs (shown above)

Preparation 10 min
Cook 55 min
Yields Two servings

Olive oil
One medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
Salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
Fresh ginger root, grated ginger
1 tbsp ground turmeric
½ tbsp cumin seeds
6-8 curry leaves
Coconut milk
400g tin chickpeas
Basil leaves, and additional for topping
Four eggs
Green chilies, finely sliced, to serve

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot on a medium-high heat. Pour in some oil, toss in the onion with some salt, fry until softened. Incorporate aromatics and spices, let them sizzle, mixing now and then for a few minutes, add coconut milk and the chickpeas and their tin liquid. Heat until boiling, lower heat to gentle cook, let it simmer for 30-35 minutes, until thickened and deep yellow in colour. Add salt to taste, mix in fresh basil.

Use the back of a spoon forming small wells in the sauce, add eggs individually. Dust each egg with a little salt, then cover the pan with a lid, simmer over low heat for a few minutes, until egg whites firm and the yolks just warm. Turn off stove, finish with a few extra basil leaves plus chili slices, ready to enjoy.

Spicy Sausage Sauce and Pickled Peppers Steamed Eggs

Preparation 10 min
Cook 45 minutes
Serves 2

Oil
2 merguez-style lamb sausages
Harissa paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
Canned tomatoes
Seasoning
Four eggs
Tangy peppers, roughly chopped
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Creamy yogurt
1 lemon, cut into wedges, as garnish

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot at moderate temperature. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and, once it’s warm, peel sausages and break off pieces adding to pan, like mini balls. Lower temperature, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, releasing flavorful oils. Roll the merguez pieces around the pan during cooking, for even browning.

When golden, mix in spices and garlic into the skillet, increase to medium heat and cook, stirring, for several minutes, until aromatic, with garlic cooked. Add tomatoes, salt to taste and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat to low cooking gently for twenty minutes. Sauce will thicken, intensify in color, with oils separating and surfacing.

Employ utensil making indentations in the sauce, add eggs individually. Sprinkle the top of each egg with a little salt, place lid on pan. Cook for two to three minutes gently, until whites firm and yolks warmed.

Take off the heat, top with pickled peppers, parsley and yogurt, and oil splash, and serve with lemon wedges.