Pizza baked eggs recipe

The base for these eggs echoes the flavours of a pizza alla marinara. I’ve added a few olives and anchovies at the end, partly because they go so well with eggs, but also because in my mind they’re the best pizza toppings. For the bread, anything you have will work (although note that toasted supermarket pittas do an excellent impression of leftover pizza crusts).

Timings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves

2

Ingredients

• 1 x 400g tin finely chopped tomatoes (or passata)
• 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 6-8 small olives (such as the Taggiasca variety)
• 1 basil sprig, plus a few extra leaves to garnish
• 2-4 medium eggs
• 2-4 salted anchovies in oil
• Parmesan, freshly grated
• warm bread, to serve (pittas or similar puffy flatbreads work well here)

Method

1. Empty the tomatoes into a 26-28cm sauté pan or low casserole dish with a lid and place over a medium-high heat.
2. Add the garlic, oregano, olive oil, olives, basil sprig and a big pinch of salt. Stir and simmer energetically for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened (but not stiff).
3. Crack the eggs into the sauce, ideally far enough apart that they don’t immediately touch each other. Reduce the heat a little, cover and gently simmer for 2½-3 minutes until the whites are set. Remove from the heat.
4. If the whites aren’t firm by this point, keep the pan off the hob, but return the lid and check again after 30-60 seconds.
5. Spoon the eggs and sauce into shallow bowls. Lay an anchovy over each egg and garnish with a few basil leaves and a dusting of Parmesan. Serve with warm bread for swiping.

Recipe from Good Eggs by Ed Smith (Quadrille, £22)