Baked Eggs with Spinach, Ham & Basil
Introduction
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 Tbsp butter, plus extra for eggs
1 Tbsp olive oil
120g (about 4 oz) baby spinach leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
100g (3½ oz) ham off the bone, chopped
¼ cup cream
½ cup loosely packed basil leaves
4 medium (size 6) free- range eggs
4 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
Method
1 Preheat oven to 180°C (350°C). Put onion in a medium-sized frying pan (skillet) with butter and olive oil and cook gently for about 10 minutes until tender and lightly golden. Add spinach and cook until it wilts. Season with ¼ of a teaspoon of salt, black pepper to taste and a good grating of nutmeg. Add chopped ham, cream and basil.
2 Butter 4 ovenproof gratin dishes (or ramekins) and divide spinach and ham mixture among them. Break eggs one at a time into a separate dish and gently transfer into each gratin dish. Grind over a little black pepper and sprinkle with parmesan. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and spoon over top of eggs. Put gratin dishes on a baking sheet to make it easier to move them in and out of the oven.
3 Cook eggs for about 10 minutes in preheated oven, leaving whites with a little wobble (the eggs will continue to cook as they stand). Let eggs rest for 5 minutes, then serve, or if you like your eggs set, cook them just until they are set in the oven – any more and they will dry out as they stand.