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Let me explain: the most delicious egg dishes are made without baking. When testing these recipes, realizing that using a cover generates steam that gently cooks the eggs, resulting in perfectly cooked soft-cooked egg with firm whites and flowing center. The intense, dry heat in conventional ovens is much more aggressive compared to steaming, and has a tendency to dehydrate ingredients and overcook the yolk. I’ve given you two sauces as a jumping-off point, though feel free to experiment. One is a super-simple turmeric coconut curry, while the merguez ragu is a riff on classic tomato-baked eggs, or, to the likes of you and me, spicy tomato eggs.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Steamed Eggs (pictured above)

Prep A quick 10 minutes
Cook Just under an hour
Serves Two people

Olive oil
1 onion, skinned and diced
Fine sea salt
2 garlic cloves, minced garlic
Fresh ginger root, minced ginger
Turmeric powder
½ tbsp cumin seeds
Aromatic leaves
Creamy coconut
Canned chickpeas
A few basil leaves, with more for garnish
Fresh eggs
Fresh chilies, thinly cut, to serve

Heat a cast-iron pan at moderate-high temperature. Drizzle olive oil, incorporate onions with some salt, sauté for several minutes. Mix in garlic, ginger, and spices, allow to cook, stirring occasionally for three to four minutes, then tip in the coconut milk including chickpea can contents. Heat until boiling, reduce to a simmer, allow to cook slowly about 35 minutes, when sauce is rich and yellow. Adjust seasoning, mix in fresh basil.

Employ a utensil to create four little pockets across the base, break eggs into each. Season eggs with a little salt, then cover the pan with a lid, and cook on a low heat for two to three minutes, when whites are cooked and the yolks just warm. Turn off stove, top with fresh herbs and thinly sliced finger chillies, then serve immediately.

Spicy Sausage Sauce and Pickled Peppers Baked Eggs

Preparation Quick prep
Cooking time 45 min
Serves Two portions

Oil
Spicy lamb sausages
Harissa paste
Toasted cumin
Garlic cloves, minced garlic
Canned tomatoes
Fine sea salt
Four eggs
1 handful pickled peppers, roughly chopped
Chopped herbs, minced
Greek yogurt
Fresh lemon, sliced into wedges, for serving

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot at moderate temperature. Add two tablespoons of olive oil once hot, take off sausage casings and break off pieces into the skillet, almost like little meatballs. Lower temperature, brown the meat slowly, so it renders out all that spicy, flavour-packed fat. Move sausage pieces while cooking, to brown evenly.

When golden, mix in spices and garlic into the skillet, turn up the heat to medium sauté while stirring, for several minutes, until aromatic, and garlic softens. Pour in tomato contents, salt to taste heat to simmer. Lower to gentle simmer and leave to blip away about 20 minutes. Sauce will thicken, become richer and darker, with oils separating and surfacing.

With a spoon to create four little pockets in the sauce, add eggs individually. Dust with salt with a little salt, then cover the pan with a lid. Cook for two to three minutes over a low heat, when eggs set and yolks warmed.

Take off the heat, garnish with peppers, parsley and yogurt, and oil splash, with lemon on side.