Braised Eggs with Leek and Zatar

Braised Eggs with Leek and Zatar

Based on Yotam Ottolenghi's recipe in Ottolenghi Simple.

Ingredients

Makes

  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 extra large leeks (or 4 smaller) trimmed and cut into 0.5cm slices (~500g)
  • 1 tsp cumin, toasted and lightly crushed
  • ½ small preserved lemon, seeds discarded, skin and flesh finely chopped
  • 300ml vegetable stock
  • 200g baby spinach leaves
  • 6 large eggs
  • 90g feta
  • 1 Tbsp za'atar

Preparation

  1. Put the butter and 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a large pan with a lid and place over medium heat
  2. Once the butter starts to foam, add the leeks, ½ tsp of salt and plenty of pepper. Fry for 3 minutes stirring frequently until the leeks are soft.
  3. Add the cumin, lemon and vegetable stock and boil rapidly for 4-5 minutes until most of the stock has evaporated.
  4. Fold in the spinach and fook for 1 minute, until wilted, then decrease the heat to medium.
  5. Use a large spoon to make 6 indentations in the mixture and break 1 egg into each space. Sprinke the eggs with a pinch of salt, dot the feta around the eggs then cover the pan. Simmer for 4-5 minutes, until the egg whites are cooked by tthe yolks are still runny.
  6. Mix the za'atar with the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil and brush over the eggs.
  7. Serve at once from the pan.