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So, hear me out: the best baked eggs are made without baking. When testing these recipes, realizing that using a cover creates a steamy environment for cooking the egg tops, resulting in perfectly cooked soft-cooked egg with firm whites plus liquid yolk. Direct oven heat of the oven acts stronger than steam, and has a tendency making dishes dry and harden the yolk. Presenting two flavorful bases as inspiration, encouraging customization. One is a super-simple golden coconut sauce, and the second offers a merguez ragu is a riff on eggs in purgatory, or, to the likes of you and me, eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Baked Eggs (featured)

Prep 10 min
Cook 55 minutes
Yields Two servings

Extra virgin oil
One medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
Salt
2 garlic cloves, minced garlic
10g fresh ginger, minced ginger
Turmeric powder
½ tbsp cumin seeds
Aromatic leaves
Creamy coconut
400g tin chickpeas
Fresh basil, with more for garnish
Four eggs
2 green finger chillies, finely sliced, as garnish

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot at moderate-high temperature. Drizzle olive oil, add the chopped onion with some salt, fry until softened. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin seeds and curry leaves, leave to sizzle, occasionally stirring for a few minutes, pour in creamy liquid along with chickpeas and liquid. Bring to a boil, lower heat to gentle cook, allow to cook slowly about 35 minutes, until thickened and deep yellow in colour. Season with salt, incorporate basil.

With a spoon’s back to create four little pockets across the base, add eggs individually. Sprinkle the top of each egg lightly salted, cover the skillet, gently heat for two to three minutes, when whites are cooked with yolks still runny. Turn off stove, garnish with more basil plus chili slices, then serve immediately.

Merguez Ragu and Pickled Peppers Steamed Eggs

Preparation Quick prep
Cook 45 minutes
Serves Two

Olive oil
Merguez sausages
Harissa paste
Toasted cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced garlic
Tomato base
Seasoning
Fresh eggs
Tangy peppers, roughly chopped
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt
Fresh lemon, cut into wedges, as garnish

Use a heavy pan on a medium heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil once hot, take off sausage casings and break off pieces adding to pan, almost like little meatballs. Turn down the heat, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, so it renders out all that spicy, flavour-packed fat. Stir merguez while cooking, so they colour on all sides.

Once browned, add the harissa, cumin seeds and sliced garlic to the pot, adjust to moderate flame and cook, stirring, for three to four minutes, when fragrant, and garlic softens. Tip in the tomatoes, season with salt let it bubble. Lower to gentle simmer cooking gently for 20 minutes. Ragu thickens, become richer and darker, as oils separate.

Use the back of a spoon making indentations within sauce, then crack an egg into each. Dust with salt with salt, cover skillet. Heat for minutes over a low heat, until whites firm with yolks runny.

Turn off stove, garnish with peppers, parsley and yogurt, plus oil drizzle, with lemon on side.