A (w)hole new eggs-perience
Move over toad in the hole, this egg-ceptional dish is a meal all in one adorable package, writes Ali Slagle.
So many dishes start with warmed olive oil in a skillet: you could be sauteing garlic and onions, frying an egg, or searing chicken or fish or shrimp.
You could be blooming spices, toasting nuts or making tortilla chips.
In this way, olive oil is a great unifier. It’s a moment in cooking that connects so many things we want to do and, as a result, allows us to multitask.
This spiced egg in a hole is delicious multitasking.
As the spices crack open in the warm olive oil, the first side of your bread (minus a hole in the middle) begins to crisp.
When the bread starts to sizzle, pour an egg into the bread’s missing middle. Once the white on the bottom of the egg is cooked through, use a fish spatula to flip the egg in a hole.
Allow the bread on the next side to soak up the spiced oil while the egg cooks in just a couple of minutes.
Transfer your egg in a hole to a plate, cut into the egg in the middle, and let the creamy yolk run.
Mop it up with your golden piece of toast, which is flavoured with the warm spices of turmeric, coriander and cayenne (though you can switch up the spices as you wish).
It’s a meal all in one delicious package.
Spiced bread egg in a hole
Preparation time: 10 minutes 1 serving
The bread for this egg in a hole is crispy-crackly in ways a toaster cannot achieve because it’s fried in olive oil.
You could stop there and be thrilled about breakfast (or dinner), but that olive oil can also carry flavour.
Here, your bread soaks up warming turmeric, coriander and cayenne, which spice the dish through – with no need for hot sauce or ketchup.
■ 1 large egg
■ 4cm-thick slice bread, sourdough or rustic
■ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ■ 1⁄2 teaspoon ground turmeric
■ 1⁄4 teaspoon ground coriander ■ A pinch of ground cayenne pepper ■ Salt
■ Freshly ground black pepper
Crack the egg into a small bowl or container with a spout. Using a glass or measuring cup, cut out a circle in the middle of the bread, being sure to leave at least 1.5cm of bread on all sides.
In a medium non-stick skillet, use a wooden spoon to stir together the oil, turmeric, coriander, cayenne, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
Add the bread and its middle and heat the skillet over medium heat. When the bread starts to sizzle, gently pour the egg into the hole. Cook until the bottom of the bread is crispy, about two minutes.
Using a spatula, gently flip the bread and continue cooking until the egg white is cooked through but the yolk is still runny, another two minutes. Serve.