I am fussy about lots of things, and enjoying a regular supply of free-range eggs from our five chooks who are fed a vegetarian diet have spoilt me for any commercial egg. I love one-pot meals at any time, not least because it cuts down on the washing up! The trick here is choosing your cooking container wisely as it will influence the ‘setting’ of the eggs if, like me, you want your yolks really runny you’ll find a thicker cooking vessel best as it cooks everything more slowly.
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 2 large red capsicums, peeled with a potato peeler, seeds and membrane removed, thinly sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped
- 2 tablespoons verjuice
- 400 g juicy ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- ½ teaspoon saffron threads
- 1 cup (250 ml) vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses
- 2 free-range eggs
- Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan-forced).
- Dry-roast the cumin seeds in a large frying pan over high heat for 1 minute or until just fragrant. Add the olive oil, sliced capsicum, bay leaves and thyme and cook for 5–10 minutes or until golden. Add the verjuice and simmer until it has nearly evaporated. Reduce the heat to low, then add the tomatoes, saffron and stock and simmer for 15 minutes or until slightly reduced and thickened. If the sauce gets too dry add a little more stock or water you’re looking for a pasta sauce consistency. Remove from the heat.
- Remove and discard the bay leaves. Stir in the pomegranate molasses, then adjust the seasoning. Pour the sauce into an ovenproof frying pan or dish. Make 2 small evenly spaced indents in the sauce and crack the eggs into the hollows. Bake for 8 minutes or until the eggs are just set. Remove from the oven. Drizzle with olive oil, scatter with parsley and finish with a grinding of pepper. Serve immediately.
