Green Shakshuka
Eggs poached into a pan of collapsed greens, garlic and green chilli, feta melting into the hollows.
Why it works
Spinach and chard carry enough water to steam themselves down in two minutes, giving you a wet, seasoned bed for the eggs without adding liquid you would then boil off. Pressing the wells down to the metal sets each white against the hot base while the yolk stays loose above it. The flatbreads warm through under the grill in the five minutes the pan is covered, so both land on the table hot.
Method
- Heat the oil in a 30 cm (12 in) frying pan over medium-high. Add the leek and a pinch of salt and cook 2 minutes, until it slumps and turns bright green.
- Add the garlic, chilli, cumin, ground coriander and chopped coriander stalks. Stir 1 minute, until the spices smell toasted.
- Add the courgette, the peas and the greens in two handfuls, turning with tongs. Cook 3 minutes, until everything has collapsed and no water pools when you push the greens aside. Stir in the lemon juice and season.
- Make twelve wells with the back of a spoon, pressing down to the pan base. Crack an egg into each and scatter the feta into the gaps.
- Cover with a lid or baking tray, drop the heat to low and cook 5–6 minutes, until the whites are opaque right up to the yolk but the yolks still shiver when you nudge the pan. Warm the flatbreads under a hot grill or in the toaster while the eggs set, and keep them in a folded tea towel.
- Finish with pepper and coriander leaves. Bring the pan to the table with the lemon wedges and the warm flatbread, torn into pieces for scooping.
For the toddler
Eggs and greens suit them well, so this needs little changing. Lift a spoonful of the greens out at step 3 before you season, then crack their egg into a well at the pan's edge and leave the feta out of that corner, since feta is salt through and through. Use one deseeded chilli rather than two, and give the adults zhoug at the table.
How the toddler notes workChef’s notes
Kale needs 2 extra minutes before the eggs go in. Ricotta salata stands in for feta.
Bagged washed spinach and no courgette takes prep down to 3 minutes.
Thick yoghurt sharpened with lemon, a dish of olives, and pickled chillies or a spoon of zhoug.
Eggs do not reheat well. Make the greens base ahead — 3 days chilled, 2 minutes to reheat.