Baked Eggs with Mushrooms, Tomatoes and Sausages

It's easy to sleep in, be late and downright lazy on weekend mornings. In my cosy cocoon of blackout curtains and air conditioning, it's precious me-time for a moment of quiet, contemplation and privacy. While I'm usually up along with the sun, I like to take things slowly, and with focus.

I wake up, make the bed (the OCD), and be sure not to disturb the snoring other half (the late riser). What to eat comes to mind next. Some days it's buttermilk blueberry pancakes, on others it's leftover chiffon cake with a cup from the Chemex. There's no fixed ritual, only variety, if I can help it. When nothing else it available, there's always bread from the deep abyss of my freezer and some eggs.

As I dig into my dosa with sambar though, I long for the other half to share the table. Just to go over how we messed up the dosa by not letting it ferment longer, if nothing else. Other times I get lucky. He wakes up to the smell of my roasted smoked duck breast. We would then share the plate of ginger scallion noodles and break the sunny side up into half.

Those precious few hours, I hang on to dearly. No matter if the food is simple - cream crackers, butter and soft boiled eggs, straight up granola with raspberries. Before the day catches up with me, while the shadows are still soft and the birds still not tired from the heat.

As two eggs slowly set in the oven over roasted tomatoes, mushrooms and sausages, I hope for breakfast to not just kick start my fuel burning engine, but all my other senses and the spirit to keep calm, be brave and carry on.

Baked Eggs with Mushrooms, Tomatoes and Sausages

I looked at various recipes and decided to roast everything in the oven. Cleaning up a stove full of fry-up spits in the morning is something I like to avoid.
Serves 2.

• 40 grams butter
• 150 grams sausages, sliced (I used a mixture of chorizo and Bratwurst)
• 200 grams mushrooms, sliced (I used Swiss brown)
• 80 grams sun-dried tomatoes, sliced (you can use fresh, deseeded)
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• a handful of fresh coriander, chopped (of any herbs of your choice)
• 2 teaspoons chili flakes (optional)
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 large fresh eggs
• some freshly grated Parmesan (or cheese of your choice)

Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease 2 ramekins or any ovenproof bowls with some of the butter.

Arrange the sausages, mushrooms, garlic, coriander and tomatoes in the ramekins, packing them down. (I put the mushrooms on top as they require the most cooking and moisture released will drip down to the other ingredients. Sprinkle over chili flakes and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over some olive oil and divide the butter to top the ramekins. Roast in for about 20 minutes.

Retrieve ramekins from oven; break over 2 eggs into each ramekin, taking care not to break the yolks. Return to oven for about 4-5 minutes. Retrieve and sprinkle over grated cheese, then return to cook till cheese is melted, the whites are set and yolks are done to your liking. Serve with buttered toasts, if desired.