San Martino Pesto Tomato Baked Eggs
San Martino is the name of the house we stay in when we go to Italy where I learned to make my Home-made Pesto which I now always have in the freezer.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tbsps green pesto
100g fine green beans - frozen is fine in winter
6 large tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 tsp caster sugar
100g pancetta, diced
4 eggs - not necessarily double-yolked!
1 tsp Balsamic Cream - optional
Grated Pecorino or Parmesan - optional
Salt and Pepper
Cooking Instructions:
Fry the pancetta in the olive oil till brown but not crispy. Turn down the heat, add the garlic and sauté gently for a couple of minutes. Add all the other ingredients except the eggs and cheese and simmer until the sauce is thick (you may need to add a little water to begin with if the tomatoes are not very juicy). Check the seasoning and then make four depressions in the sauce. Break the eggs in and cook, covered until the whites are cooked and the yolks are as you like them.
Serve with toast or crusty bread to soak up yolks and juices.
Easy-peasy mid-week supper. You could add mushrooms, or use them instead of the bacon which is what I did do when we lived in Qatar.
First made 22nd July 2008
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tbsps green pesto
100g fine green beans - frozen is fine in winter
6 large tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 tsp caster sugar
100g pancetta, diced
4 eggs - not necessarily double-yolked!
1 tsp Balsamic Cream - optional
Grated Pecorino or Parmesan - optional
Salt and Pepper
Cooking Instructions:
Fry the pancetta in the olive oil till brown but not crispy. Turn down the heat, add the garlic and sauté gently for a couple of minutes. Add all the other ingredients except the eggs and cheese and simmer until the sauce is thick (you may need to add a little water to begin with if the tomatoes are not very juicy). Check the seasoning and then make four depressions in the sauce. Break the eggs in and cook, covered until the whites are cooked and the yolks are as you like them.
Serve with toast or crusty bread to soak up yolks and juices.
Easy-peasy mid-week supper. You could add mushrooms, or use them instead of the bacon which is what I did do when we lived in Qatar.
First made 22nd July 2008
Pea and Goats' Cheese Quiche
Ingredients:
I batch of shortcrust pastry, baked blind
350g frozen peas
3 tbsps olive oil
handful mint, chopped
salt
freshly ground black pepper
200g goats' cheese - I used a mild goats' feta
1 spring onion, finely sliced
5 eggs
100ml milk
250ml cream
Cooking Instructions:
Boil the peas in salted water for 3 minutes then drain, reserve 1/2cup of whole peas and tip the rest into the food processor with the mint and olive oil. Whizz into a purée and spread on the base of the pastry case. Scatter over the extra pease, sliced spring onion and crumble over the cheese. Season with a good grind of black pepper.
Whisk the eggs, cream and milk together and gently pour over the pea and cheese mixture.
Bake at 150C (fan) for 40-45 minutes or until the egg mixture is set and the top golden.
Serve with Carrot and Beetroot Slaw.
First made; 4th April 2013
I batch of shortcrust pastry, baked blind
350g frozen peas
3 tbsps olive oil
handful mint, chopped
salt
freshly ground black pepper
200g goats' cheese - I used a mild goats' feta
1 spring onion, finely sliced
5 eggs
100ml milk
250ml cream
Cooking Instructions:
Boil the peas in salted water for 3 minutes then drain, reserve 1/2cup of whole peas and tip the rest into the food processor with the mint and olive oil. Whizz into a purée and spread on the base of the pastry case. Scatter over the extra pease, sliced spring onion and crumble over the cheese. Season with a good grind of black pepper.
Whisk the eggs, cream and milk together and gently pour over the pea and cheese mixture.
Bake at 150C (fan) for 40-45 minutes or until the egg mixture is set and the top golden.
Serve with Carrot and Beetroot Slaw.
First made; 4th April 2013
Leek and Goat's Feta Quiche
Ingredients:
1 batch shortcrust pastry - I make my own but you'll be able to buy it in the supermarket - my recipe is on the baking page
1 leek, cleaned and thinly sliced
100g goat's feta
25g butter
5 eggs
250ml milk
250ml cream
freshly ground black pepper
Cooking Instructions:
Grease a flan/pie dish - I keep butter wrappers in the freezer for this.
Roll out the pastry, line the dish with it trimming the edges with a sharp knife and bake blind - cut a circle of baking parchment, lay it over the pastry and fill with ceramic baking beans, dried beans or uncooked rice and bake at 180C (fan) for 20 minutes. Remove the greaseproof paper and its contents and put the dish back in the oven for 5 minutes to dry the base off. Remove from the oven andset aside. Turn the oven down to 140C (fan).
Sweat the leeks very gently in some butter and plenty of black pepper until they are just beginning to wilt then tip into the pastry case.
Crumble over the feta cheese - the feta is very, very salty so you won't need to add any salt to the dish.
Whisk the eggs, cream and milk together and pour over the leeks and feta.
Carefully transfer to the oven and bake for 50 - 60 minutes until the top is golden and the eggs are just set.
First made: 3rd March 2013
1 batch shortcrust pastry - I make my own but you'll be able to buy it in the supermarket - my recipe is on the baking page
1 leek, cleaned and thinly sliced
100g goat's feta
25g butter
5 eggs
250ml milk
250ml cream
freshly ground black pepper
Cooking Instructions:
Grease a flan/pie dish - I keep butter wrappers in the freezer for this.
Roll out the pastry, line the dish with it trimming the edges with a sharp knife and bake blind - cut a circle of baking parchment, lay it over the pastry and fill with ceramic baking beans, dried beans or uncooked rice and bake at 180C (fan) for 20 minutes. Remove the greaseproof paper and its contents and put the dish back in the oven for 5 minutes to dry the base off. Remove from the oven andset aside. Turn the oven down to 140C (fan).
Sweat the leeks very gently in some butter and plenty of black pepper until they are just beginning to wilt then tip into the pastry case.
Crumble over the feta cheese - the feta is very, very salty so you won't need to add any salt to the dish.
Whisk the eggs, cream and milk together and pour over the leeks and feta.
Carefully transfer to the oven and bake for 50 - 60 minutes until the top is golden and the eggs are just set.
First made: 3rd March 2013
Oven Spanish Omelette
Ingredients:
1 large onion, peeled, halved and sliced
3 large/4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
6 eggs, whisked with 3 tbsps fridge cold water
salt & pepper
olive oil
Cooking Instructions:
In a flan dish or shallow pie dish, layer the potatoes and onions. Start with a layer of potatoes, drizzle them with olive oil and season well. Continue with the onions. Drizzle each potato layer with olive oil and season. Finish with a potato layer. Cover the flan dish with tin foil and place in the oven at 180C (fan) for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked though and tender.
Remove from the oven and turn the oven down to 160C (fan). Remove the foil and quickly pour the egg mixture over. Give the dish a gentle shake to get the eggs all over the bottom. Return to the oven and cook until the eggs are cooked in the middle and the omelette is golden brown.
This was first made by my mother, although in the traditional way, when I was about ten. Sheer laziness has made me do it this way and I never really mastered the whole sliding it aroung plates thing anyway!
1 large onion, peeled, halved and sliced
3 large/4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
6 eggs, whisked with 3 tbsps fridge cold water
salt & pepper
olive oil
Cooking Instructions:
In a flan dish or shallow pie dish, layer the potatoes and onions. Start with a layer of potatoes, drizzle them with olive oil and season well. Continue with the onions. Drizzle each potato layer with olive oil and season. Finish with a potato layer. Cover the flan dish with tin foil and place in the oven at 180C (fan) for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked though and tender.
Remove from the oven and turn the oven down to 160C (fan). Remove the foil and quickly pour the egg mixture over. Give the dish a gentle shake to get the eggs all over the bottom. Return to the oven and cook until the eggs are cooked in the middle and the omelette is golden brown.
This was first made by my mother, although in the traditional way, when I was about ten. Sheer laziness has made me do it this way and I never really mastered the whole sliding it aroung plates thing anyway!