Eggs Baked with Kale, Tomato, and Olives

This is a great way to get more vegetables into your life, and this dish is great for breakfast or for dinner. Cooking the eggs so the yolk is still runny provides a silky sauce for the earthy kale, and runny yolks contain lecithin, which helps counter the effects of cholesterol in the body. If you wish, you could add bits of prosciutto or mushrooms to the kale, or scatter the ramekins with some cheese a few minutes before they come out of the oven.

INGREDIENTS:

4-8 eggs

1 bunch of kale torn or cut into bite-sized bits (or 2-3 cups cooked)

1 medium white or yellow onion, finely diced

¼ cup heaping oil cured olives, pitted, chopped ¼-inch or slightly smaller

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon oregano or marjoram, crumbled, or to taste

1 medium tomato, seeded and cut into ¼ inch dice

Salt and pepper to taste

-Optional- pinch of cayenne or other chile powder, or Pimenton de la Vera

¼-cup of non-sweet white wine, such as chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, grenache blanc

Olive oil as needed

1 tablespoon butter, very cold

¼-cup fresh chives or scallion greens, sliced very finely

METHOD:

Heat a 10-inch frying pan over medium heat. Turn on and heat oven to 400°F.

Heat a large teapot or stockpot of water, and bring it to boiling.

Once the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil. When oil starts to shiver, add the onions and toss to coat with oil. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until onions start to wilt. Add more oil to the pan-you really do want there to be a fair amount of oil in the pan- so add around a tablespoon. Add half the tomato dice and toss to coat it with oil. Cook long enough to start the tomato collapsing. Add the garlic, half the herbs, and the chile if you are using it. Stir. When fragrant, add the kale. Go ahead and pile it in, pressing down on it a little to encourage it to collapse faster. Add the wine and use tongs to turn the kale in the wine, and cook down, turning the kale periodically to coat the greens in the wine, and cook until the wine has evaporated. Cook over medium heat, turning and combining all the ingredients until the greens cook down and are tender. Make a well in the center of the vegetables and add half the olives, cooking a minute or two. Toss and turn with tongs to mix the olives into the greens. Remove pan from heat and scatter with the rest of the olives and tomatoes. Turn the greens once or twice to mix these in a bit.

While greens cook, butter the insides of four 8 or 12 ounce soufflé cups*, being sure to get the “corner” where wall meets base. If you wish, you could season the butter with salt and pepper, chile, smoked paprika, or herbs for additional flavor. You can use oil instead, but it does not stick to the walls as well as the butter.

Using tongs, divide the kale between the four buttered soufflé cups.

Rinse an egg really well, and use the pointed end to make 1 or 2 divots in the greens depending on whether you are using one or two eggs. Carefully crack the eggs into the divots, and place the soufflé cups into a roasting pan that will hold them without crowding, but try to avoid too much space between them. Put a rack in the oven venter and leave it extended out. Carefully place the pan with the cups on the rack, the pour the hot water into the pan until it comes 3/4s of the way up the cups. Avoid splashing water into the soufflé cups, then slide it into the oven and shut the door.

Bake for 10 -12 minutes, or until the whites are thoroughly set and the yolks are heated through and starting to set on the top. When done, remove from the oven (without getting water in them). You can use a spatula and tongs or a towel in your hand to lift them out, or just tongs. Careful with the tongs as the cups can be slick. Place on plates and scatter with the chives or scallion greens, and serve with grilled or toasted slabs of country bread for dipping or using as a means of conveyance to the mouth. Serve hot!

Chef’s Notes: *Souffle cups are also known as ramekins, and come on many sizes, and shapes as well. If using 8-ounce cups, use only one egg per cup at a time. My preferred ramekins are the traditional French soufflé style cups with the straight up and down sides with the incised grooves on them. If you wish, you can add some grated cheese to these, and/or add cooked sausage, cooked and crumbled bacon, or flecks of ham.

Serves: 4

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen