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Let me explain: the best baked eggs never require an oven. Through culinary experiments, I found that simply adding a lid generates steam for cooking the egg tops, delivering a gently cooked perfectly poached egg with firm whites and a warm, runny yolk. The harsh, arid temperature of the oven proves harsher compared to steaming, often leading to dehydrate ingredients and harden the yolk. Presenting two flavorful bases as a jumping-off point, encouraging customization. One is a super-simple golden coconut sauce, whereas the spicy sausage sauce is a riff on eggs in purgatory, or, to the likes of you and me, spicy tomato eggs.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Baked Eggs (pictured above)

Preparation A quick 10 minutes
Cooking time 55 min
Yields Two servings

Olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
Fine sea salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
Fresh ginger root, minced ginger
Golden spice
Toasted cumin
Curry leaves
Creamy coconut
Chickpeas
A few basil leaves, plus extra to serve
Four eggs
Green chilies, thinly cut, as garnish

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot on a medium-high heat. Drizzle olive oil, add the chopped onion seasoned with salt, sauté for several minutes. Incorporate aromatics and spices, leave to sizzle, occasionally stirring for a few minutes, pour in creamy liquid along with chickpeas and liquid. Let it bubble, then turn down to a simmer, and leave it to tick over for half an hour, until thickened and deep yellow in colour. Add salt to taste, incorporate basil.

Use the back of a spoon making four indentations across the base, break eggs into each. Sprinkle the top of each egg with a little salt, place a lid on the pan, simmer over low heat for two to three minutes, when whites are cooked and yolks warmed. Take off the heat, garnish with more basil plus chili slices, then serve immediately.

Merguez Ragu and Pickled Peppers Baked Eggs

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 45 min
Yields 2

Oil
2 merguez-style lamb sausages
Spicy paste
Cumin seeds
Garlic cloves, minced garlic
400g good-quality tinned tomatoes
Fine sea salt
4 eggs
1 handful pickled peppers, diced
Chopped herbs, finely chopped
3 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt
1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Use a heavy pan over medium flame. Pour in oil when heated, remove the skins from the sausages and break off pieces into the skillet, like mini balls. Reduce heat, brown the meat slowly, releasing flavorful oils. Stir merguez during cooking, so they colour on all sides.

After browning, add the harissa, cumin seeds and sliced garlic to the pan, turn up the heat to medium sauté while stirring, for three to four minutes, when fragrant, and garlic softens. Pour in tomato contents, salt to taste and bring to a simmer. Reduce to low heat and simmer slowly for 20 minutes. Ragu thickens, become richer and darker, as oils separate.

Employ utensil making indentations across base, then crack an egg into each. Dust with salt lightly salted, cover skillet. Heat for minutes on low flame, when eggs set and the yolks just warm.

Remove from heat, top with pickled peppers, herbs, yogurt dollop, and a drizzle of oil, with lemon on side.