Beetroot Baked Eggs

I love it when a completely random combination of what's left over in the fridge actually works!

This week I was left to my own devices while my husband was out at Christmas drinks. I figured it was a good opportunity to use up the bits and pieces that were in the fridge and try to create something delicious.

I loved baked eggs and they often feature on our weekend breakfast menu or on weeknights when you want something quick, easy and filling.

This beetroot baked eggs was delicious and only took a total of about 20 minutes to make and cook. It was perfect on a cool night, when I wanted something hearty and filling but without too much fuss or effort.

This recipe only used a few ingredients and not a lot of skill. The sweet, earthy flavour of the beetroot was beautiful with the creamy feta and the runny eggs yolks mixed through. The extra dash of pomegranate molasses added some syrupy sweetness. I did mean to top it all with a few pieces of smoked salmon, but completely forgot! They would have been great too. You could equally add some prosciutto or crispy bacon at the last minute as well.

I made only enough for one serve, so you just need to double or triple it for more people.

Beetroot Baked Eggs

1 beetroot

2 tsp pomegranate molasses, or to taste

A knob of butter

Salt and pepper to taste

50g of creamy feta, chopped

A handful of parsley, chopped

Smoked salmon, prosciutto or crispy bacon (optional)

Toast to serve

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Chop the stalk of the beetroot and peel.
Grate the beetroot and place in a saucepan with the butter, pomegranate molasses, a dash of water and salt and pepper to taste.
Cook, covered, over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the beetroot has softened and some of the liquid has evaporated. Make sure there is still some liquid left so it's not too dry.
Tip the beetroot mixture into an oven proof ramekin or small dish and make two indents for the eggs.
Crack an egg into each hole, place the dish on a baking tray and cover with foil.
Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the white is set and the yolks are still runny.
In the last few minutes, throw the feta on top of the dish to warm it up a bit.
Take the dish out of the oven, sprinkle with the parsley and an extra bit of cracked black pepper. If you are using smoked salmon or prosciutto, add that to the top now.
Serve with hot buttered toast.

So Much Spinach!

We have so much spinach in the garden at the moment that it's getting ridiculous! Over winter there wasn't much growing, but spinach and rainbow chard were the two things we definitely didn't have a shortage of. I've made pies, spinach daal, lamb saag, salads and a variety of vegetable dishes, but still it keeps growing. I've given away bags and bags of the stuff to friends, family and local cafes and restaurants, but we have more and more and more!

What to do with it all??

When we were kids, Mum used to make cheese and spinach pie all the time. It was probably the Aussie version of spanakopita, that amazing Greek pastry. We would gobble it down and there were hardly ever any leftovers.

I have modified Mum's recipe a bit - taken away the filo pastry, added extra herbs and more cheese. It's probably less pie now and more frittata. Whatever you want to call it, it tastes delicious as a light dinner with a salad and can also be served cold to take to a picnic. For nibbles at a party, try cutting it into small squares and putting a dollop of a tomato chutney on top. Your guests will love it!

Cheese And Spinach Slice

A bunch of fresh spinach or other greens

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

500g cottage cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, plus extra for the top

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1/2 cup mint, chopped

6 eggs

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Wash spinach well to remove any dirt and shake dry. Finely chop and place in a microwave safe container with a lid.

Microwave for 2 minutes so that it starts to wilt. Drain well in a colander, pressing to remove extra water. Allow to cool.

Combine all other ingredients in a bowl, mixing well.

Stir through spinach when cool so it doesn't start cooking the egg.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remember that the cheese is salty, so you might not need much.

Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 20x30cm baking dish and smooth the surface.

Sprinkle the top with extra grated cheese to cover.

Bake for approx 45 minutes, or until the filling is set and the cheese on top is golden and bubbling.

Serve with a simple salad or some vegies.

Eggs and Asparagus For Brunch

I love to go out for breakfast or brunch on weekends or on days when I'm not working, but now with two little kids, it's not the relaxing affair it once was. No more leisurely reading the paper, ordering extra coffee and taking time to eat something delicious. It's more like quickly shoveling something in before the kids go mental and tear the cafe apart!

Cooking a nice meal for brunch at home has become more the norm lately. Eggs and bacon are always good, but sometimes it's nice to do something a bit different and a bit more fancy. Sometimes you want to feel like you are eating something that you would get at a cafe.

I love asparagus and soft poached eggs, so when I saw that Australian asparagus was in season, I jumped at the chance to buy some and cook up a breakfast storm.

As a lot of you know, I subscribe to Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine and get lots of my foodie inspiration from its glorious recipes and fantastic photos. In the most recent issue, they have a dish for roasted asparagus and eggs, aimed as a quick mid week meal. Why not tweak it a bit and make it into a fabulous breakfast dish instead?

We ate ours with some fresh baguette from a local patisserie, but you could use any sort of bread you like. Toasted sourdough with lashings of butter would be great too!

Asparagus with Poached Eggs and Herby Tomato Sauce

1 1/2 bunches of asparagus, woody ends snapped off
A drizzle of olive oil
4 eggs
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 ripe tomato, diced
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
2 Tbs each chopped parsley and mint
Salt and pepper to taste
100g fresh ricotta
Fresh baguette or other bread to serve

Prepare the sauce first.
Heat extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan or frypan and add shallot and garlic and fry until soft but not brown.
Add chopped tomato, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Take off the heat and set aside to infuse. Just before serving, stir through the fresh parsley and mint.
Place asparagus in a heat proof dish and pour over boiling water. Stand for a minute or two and then drain.
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a grill pan and fry blanched asparagus spears for a minute or so until lightly golden and tender. Keep warm.
For the poached eggs, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and turn down the heat until it is barely simmering. Crack eggs individually  into cups, then slowly tip into the simmering water. Poach for about 3 minutes for runny yolks.
When eggs are cooked, remove from the water with a slotted spoon to drain the water.
To serve, divide asparagus spears between two plates and top with two poached eggs each. Blob ricotta cheese around and over the top. Carefully spoon the tomato and herb sauce over the top.
Finish with extra cracked black pepper and your favourite bread.