Name: Braised eggs with leek and za'atar
Ingredients: 30g unsalted butter; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 large leeks (or 4 smaller), trimmed and cut into ½ cm slices (530g); 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed; 2 small preserved lemon, pips discarded, skin and flesh finely chopped (30g); 300ml vegetable stock; 200g baby spinach leaves; 6 large eggs; 90g feta, broken into 2cm pieces; 1 tbsp za&#39;atar; salt and black pepper

Brunch Vegetarian

Serves 6

Featured in

This is a quick way to get a very comforting meal on the table in a wonderfully short amount of time. It’s a dish as happily eaten for brunch, with coffee, as it is for a light supper with some crusty white bread and a glass of wine. The leeks and spinach can be made up to a day ahead and kept in the fridge, ready for the eggs to be cracked in and braised.

Ingredients

30g	unsalted butter
2 tbsp	olive oil
2	large leeks (or 4 smaller), trimmed and cut into ½ cm slices (530g)
1 tsp	cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
2	small preserved lemon, pips discarded, skin and flesh finely chopped (30g)
300ml	vegetable stock
200g	baby spinach leaves
6	large eggs
90g	feta, broken into 2cm pieces
1 tbsp	za'atar
	salt and black pepper

Method

Put the butter and 1 tablespoon of oil into a large sauté pan, for which you have a lid, and place on a medium high heat. Once the butter starts to foam, add the leeks, ½ teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper. Fry for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the leeks are soft. Add the cumin, preserved lemons and vegetable stock and boil rapidly for 4–5 minutes, until most of the stock has evaporated. Fold in the spinach and cook for a minute, until wilted, then reduce the heat to medium.
Use a large spoon to make 6 indentations in the mixture and break one egg into each space. Sprinkle the eggs with a pinch of salt, dot the feta around the eggs, then cover the pan. Simmer for 4–5 minutes, until the egg whites are cooked but the yolks are still runny.
Mix the za'atar with the remaining tablespoon of oil and brush over the eggs. Serve at once, straight from the pan.