A Store-Cupboard Supper: Caprese-Inspired Baked Eggs

So there are some days when my fridge and crisper are scraping the bottom. I put off buying anything till my weekly farm delivery list pops into my email, and I’m making do with very, very bare meals. This was one of those days. I had eggs, and some basil. Cherry tomatoes. Bread. And of course, all kinds of pulses and grains, but I really didn’t want to go the dal-chawal route again.

Inspiration struck when I saw this post on Popsugar Food about caprese salad variations. Now the holy trinity is tomatoes, basil and mozarella. But since I was working with a skeletal fridge and pantry, I made do with what I had: goat’s cheese. I cracked the eggs into ramekins, seasoned with salt and pepper, added the rest of the ingredients and into the oven they went for 12-odd minutes. And dinner was done, just like that. I added some cream to the eggs, it gave the dish a nice silky texture.

Sure, it’s not perfect: but store cupboard meals are never meant to be. But they sure do satisfy!

CAPRESE-INSPIRED BAKED EGGS

INGREDIENTS

• 4 eggs
• 4 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• A few leaves of basil, roughly torn
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• A few teaspoons of olive oil
• 4 tablespoons cream
• Goat’s cheese to crumble over the top

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 200 C
• Drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of each ramekin and crack an egg into each one.
• Divide equally and scatter the torn basil leaves and tomatoes between each ramekin.
• Season with salt and pepper and add a tablespoon of cream to each ramekin.
• Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the white is set and the yolks runny. If you like firmer yolks, bake for 18-20 minutes.
• Once out of the overn, crumble some goat’s cheese over the top.
• Serve with bread.