Eggs with Chorizo & Manchego

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12 January 2021 BY Julie Biuso
SERVES: 3-4

Here's a handy nutritious and tasty mid-week meal. Serve with crusty bread.

Ingredients

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3 Tbsp olive oil 2 firm semi-dry chorizo sausages (about 225g / 8 oz), sliced 2 large onions, peeled and thickly sliced ½ tsp smoked Spanish paprika ½ tsp roasted ground cumin seeds 250g (8 oz) cherry tomatoes, halved 2 Tbsp roughly chopped parsley ¼ tsp salt, or to taste Freshly ground black pepper to taste 4-6 medium (size 6) free-range eggs, at room temperature 100g (3-4 oz) manchego cheese, sliced Crusty bread to serve

Method

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1 Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).

Heat a smidgin of oil in a large, non-stick or heavy-based frying pan (skillet) over medium heat. When hot add the chorizo. Cook for a few minutes on each side, then transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon.

2 Discard fat then wipe out pan. Reheat pan, adding remaining oil, then add onions. Cook gently for about 15 minutes, until softened down and starting to brown. Stir in smoked paprika and cumin, cook through for 1 minute, then add cherry tomatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes, just to mix them in but not to soften them completely. Stir through chorizo and most of the parsley, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

3 If the pan has an ovenproof handle, cook the eggs in it, otherwise transfer mixture to a shallow ovenproof dish. Make 4-6 indentations in the mixture and break eggs into them (I always keep back some of the egg white as there is too much of it). Cover dish with a lid (or buttered baking or parchment paper then press foil tightly around). Transfer to oven and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until eggs are done to your liking, preferably with the whites just set and the yolks still soft; remember eggs will continue cooking once they come out of the oven. Remove foil and paper if used, then top eggs with sliced manchego cheese and a dusting of parsley. Serve immediately with crusty bread.

Recipe Notes

Chorizo comes as a fresh sausage that must be cooked, or dried, to be served like salami, or quickly fried off to develop more flavour.

You want chorizo that is between fresh and squishy soft, and firm – at least firm enough to slice easily – but definitely avoid any that is as dry as boot leather.

Manchego cheese is a semi-hard Spanish cheese made from the milk of the manchega breed of sheep. It has a particularly sweet taste with a creamy texture and slight tang to finish. If not available use pecorino romano and a dry cheddar.