Baked Eggs with Leek and Spinach

When I was younger I didn’t appreciate it much, but spinach has become one of my favourite veggies. It’s packed with vitamins - K, A, C, B2, contains magnesium and iron - in short, a pretty good way to get a lot of the things your body needs. And there’s so many yummy ways to use it - in green smoothies, as soup, creamed, in pasta or risotto dishes... the list goes on. Or like this, as a base for your eggs, like I did this morning. Enjoy :)



Ingredients:
150g spinach
1/2 leek, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 eggs
2 tbsp cream
1 tbsp butter
olive oil
pinch of salt
thyme, lemon zest and chili flakes to taste
Sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese

Instructions (serves 1):
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2. Pour the olive oil and butter in a medium sized skillet, and add the leek and shallot. Fruit for about 5-6 minutes over low heat, until the leek is softened but not browned.

3. Add the garlic and spinach and sauté for another 3-4 minutes, until the spinach is wilted. Add a pinch of salt and stir, then remove from heat. If there is a excess liquid in the pan, remove the liquid.

4. Pour the leek-spinach mixture into an oven-proof dish. Make two indentations with a separation between them, and crack open the eggs into the indents. Sprinkle (very lightly) with salt.

5. Place in the oven, near the top so the eggs cook properly. Leave for about 10 minutes, until the egg whites have set but the yolks are still soft. (For the last few minutes watch them closely, you don’t want the yolks to go hard).

6. Sprinkle with thyme, lemon zest, chili flakes and parmesan, then serve hot with bread