Mexican baked eggs

Please tell me I’m not the only one whose house looks like a bomb’s just gone off? Over Christmas I acquired so much stuff, but unfortunately not a single item of furniture to store it all in. I only returned home from visiting my family on Monday, so my living room floor is still littered with new books (but my bookshelves are full), my kitchen counters are covered in new cooking equipment (but my cupboards have no room in them), and my bedroom has clothes overflowing from every drawer. Okay, that last one might not be Christmas related, but still.

I’m incredibly grateful for all my presents, but maybe next year I could get a bigger house to store them all in?

Speaking of new cooking equipment, look! A real, live Le Creuset! It was a very generous gift from my parents, and I couldn’t wait to start using it. What better to break it in than a classic, flavour-packed Mexican dish? Rich tomato sauce with jalapenos and black beans, topped with creamy baked eggs.

If you’ve not had baked eggs before, you’re missing out. Eggs and I don’t always get along – I like some types of eggs, but I can’t stand boiled eggs. They’re just far too eggy for me (most ridiculous thing I’ve ever said? Probably not). But baked eggs, I can totally get behind. I like the yolks to be quite firm, but they still stay creamy and add a real sense of luxury to the tomato sauce.

Topped with some fresh coriander and ground black pepper, this was a gorgeous dish for lunch. A flour tortilla on the side was perfect for mopping up the sauce (and maybe also scooping it directly into my mouth). If you just go for one egg each, this would also make a great breakfast (I’d prepare the sauce the day before and then just add the eggs and bake in the morning). Perhaps you could even bake and serve it in individual little ramekins if you want to be fancy.

Anyway, I suppose I should go and start to tidy up all my Christmas stuff (um, and all the mess that was there before too). Please remember to like my Facebook page and follow me on Pinterest if you would like to!

Mexican baked eggs

Serves 2 for lunch, or 4 for breakfast

1tbsp oil
1 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, diced
1tsp ground cumin
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
150g tinned black beans, drained
2tsp jarred red jalapenos, finely chopped
50g sweetcorn kernels
4 eggs
50g cheddar cheese, grated
3tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
Black pepper
Flour tortillas, to serve

Heat the oil in a large casserole dish (or, if you don’t have a casserole dish that can be used on the hob, use a saucepan and transfer to a dish before baking). Cook the red onion, garlic and red pepper for 5 minutes over a medium heat, stirring regularly. Add the cumin and cook for a further 1 minute.

Heat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F).

Add the chopped tomatoes, black beans, jalapenos and corn, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced a little and is rich and thick. Season to taste.

Spread out the sauce so that it forms an even layer across the bottom of the casserole dish. Using the back of a spoon, make four small wells in the sauce, and crack an egg into each. Sprinkle on the grated cheese (I tried not to cover the eggs, but it doesn’t matter if you do). Cover the pan, and place in the oven to bake for 10-20 minutes, depending on your oven and how runny you like your eggs. I wanted my eggs fairly firm in the middle, so mine took about 20 minutes, but check them after 10 minutes and decide if you want to leave them in for longer.

When the eggs are cooked to your liking and the cheese has melted, sprinkle with fresh coriander and more black pepper, and serve with a flour tortilla if desired.