Greek Baked Eggs by Nicola Millbank

An actress with a passion for food, this cookery book is all about ‘a little bit of what you fancy does you good’. I don’t personally eat eggs as I’m vegan but the rest of the family eats a little of what they fancy and this is my husband Peter’s new favourite brunch.

Over to Nicola!

This is one of my all-time favourite brunch dishes. A Greek take on the classic spicy tomato sauce and poached egg dish Shakshuka, with fresh herbs, tangy feta and salty olives. It’s really simple to make; just have all of your ingredients ready and a big doorstop wedge of bread to mop it all up with. And as we’re among friends, this is darn good for the day after the night before.

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4–5 fresh cherry tomatoes, halved
• a handful of pitted black olives, halved
• 100g fresh feta, crumbled
• 2 eggs
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Heat a glug of olive oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for a few minutes until soft, then add the garlic, sage, oregano and rosemary and cook for 1 minute.

Add the tinned tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add the sugar, a pinch of salt and pepper and leave to simmer for 5– 7 minutes until the sauce has reduced.

Add the fresh tomatoes, olives and half the feta to the pan and stir well.

Make two wells in the tomato mixture and crack in the eggs.

If your pan is ovenproof, pop under a hot grill for 5–10 minutes (depending on how runny you like your yolk) or simply place a lid on the pan and steam-cook the eggs.

Scatter with the fresh herbs, the remaining feta and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, then dig in with a wedge of bread.

To serve:

A few sprigs of fresh herbs (oregano, thyme or basil), chopped, a thick wedge of bread.

You can order the book on Amazon here or on HarperCollins website here.

Photography by Susanna Blavarg.