For an easy, elegant, protein packed breakfast, I naturally turn to eggs. There are easily a million ways to enjoy an egg, so sometimes it just comes down to interesting preparation and creativity in presentation. My inspiration came in the shape of a funny little enameled yellow and white pan of my Grampa’s, which jumped out of the drawer and demanded that I bake in it one morning.
I am not one to argue with cookware, and so I rummaged around in my vegetable bin and was reminded of the giant bag of spinach patiently passing time in the crisper. We all know spinach can look hugely overwhelming when raw, but I am certain I am not the only one who is flabbergasted about just how much it shrinks when cooked! This recipe is a nice way to use up spinach; it almost becomes a crispy vegetable crust for the eggs.
This is literally a one dish meal, requiring only that you dirty the one baking dish or enameled pan, and a cheese grater! Call me crazy, but there is something pleasant about eating out of well-worn, miniature pan that my Grampa used for years.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup fresh spinach leaves
2-4 large basil leaves, sliced thin
2 large eggs (yes, preferably from free-range, vegetarian fed, happy hens!)
1 1/2 tablespoons or so fresh cream
Generous sprinkling of fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
1) Pre-heat your oven to 375, and melt the butter in the bottom of your ramekin, or in my case, Grampa’s oh-so-ancient enameled dish that it’s a Cousances…before Cousances became the better known Le Creuset.
2) Layer in the spinach, gently pressing it into the bottom of the pan and sprinkle in the basil. Crack eggs on top of greens and pour cream over, slowly and evenly. Add the salt & pepper. Lastly grate the cheese in a fine layer over the top of your dish.
3) Bake for about 10 minutes, give or take, depending on your preference for yolks.
Remove from the oven and serve hot, with additional salt and pepper if you prefer. Enjoy!