Braised Egg with Leek, Kale and Za’atar

It’s Saturday, and it feels like a real Saturday. No ‘have-tos’, just loads and loads of time for myself. Sleeping in, wearing my pj’s half of the day, Netflix and comfort food. Starting off with this twist on an Ottolenghi recipe to satisfy my weekend brunch craving. 

Ingredients (serves 1):

2/3 leek, chopped into 1/2 cm rings

70g kale (I used the cavolo nero variety), chopped

40g feta, broken into smallish (1 cm) pieces

1 tbsp lemon (I quartered my lemon and used about half of the quarter), pips removed & chopped, including the rind and skin)

2 large eggs

100mL vegetable stock

dash of cumin powder

1 teaspoon za’atar

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil 

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions: 

1. Put the butter and half of the olive oil in a small skillet that you can cover with a lid. Melt the butter and when it starts to bubble, add the leek. Season lightly with salt, then sauté for a few minutes until the leek softens. 

2. Add the kale and sauté for a few minutes more. Add the vegetable stock, lemon and cumin and heat over high heat until most of the liquid evaporates.

3. Make 2 indentations and break the eggs. Sprinkle with a bit of salt, and surround the eggs with the feta. Cover with a lid and simmer for 4-5 minutes, until the white is hard but the yellow still soft.

4. Remove from heat, break open the eggs. Mix the za’atar with the remaining olive oil and brush over the eggs. Serve immediately, straight from the pan.