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Consider this: the most delicious egg dishes are made without baking. Through culinary experiments, discovering that covering the pan creates a steamy environment for cooking the egg tops, delivering a gently cooked delicately prepared egg featuring set whites plus liquid yolk. The intense, dry heat of the oven acts stronger than steam, typically causing to dehydrate ingredients and harden the yolk. Here are two sauce options as inspiration, though feel free to experiment. Option one involves a straightforward coconut turmeric blend, whereas the spicy sausage sauce puts a twist on traditional spicy eggs, or, to the likes of you and me, spicy tomato eggs.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Steamed Eggs (pictured above)

Preparation A quick 10 minutes
Cook Just under an hour
Serves Two servings

Olive oil
1 onion, trimmed and minced
Sea salt
Two garlic cloves, minced garlic
Fresh ginger root, minced ginger
1 tbsp ground turmeric
Toasted cumin
Curry leaves
Coconut milk
400g tin chickpeas
Basil leaves, and additional for topping
Four eggs
2 green finger chillies, thinly cut, to serve

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot at moderate-high temperature. Drizzle olive oil, add the chopped onion and a pinch of salt, fry until softened. Mix in garlic, ginger, and spices, let them sizzle, mixing now and then for three to four minutes, add coconut milk including chickpea can contents. Heat until boiling, reduce to a simmer, let it simmer about 35 minutes, when sauce is rich and yellow. Add salt to taste, incorporate basil.

Employ a utensil forming small wells within the sauce, break eggs into each. Dust each egg lightly salted, then cover the pan with a lid, gently heat for two to three minutes, until the whites are set and yolks warmed. Remove from heat, top with fresh herbs and sliced chilies, and serve.

Merguez Ragu and Pickled Peppers Baked Eggs

Preparation Quick prep
Cooking time 45 min
Yields Two

Olive oil
Spicy lamb sausages
Harissa paste
Cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
Canned tomatoes
Seasoning
Fresh eggs
1 handful pickled peppers, diced
Chopped herbs, diced
Greek yogurt
1 lemon, wedge-cut, as garnish

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot on a medium heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil once hot, take off sausage casings forming small bits adding to pan, almost like little meatballs. Reduce heat, cook until golden, extracting spicy fats. Roll the merguez pieces around the pan as they cook, for even browning.

After browning, add the harissa, cumin seeds and sliced garlic to the pan, increase to medium heat fry with mixing, for three to four minutes, until aromatic, and garlic softens. Add tomatoes, season with salt let it bubble. Turn down the heat to low cooking gently about 20 minutes. The ragu will reduce, intensify in color, with oils separating and surfacing.

Use the back of a spoon forming wells across base, then crack an egg into each. Sprinkle the top of each egg lightly salted, cover skillet. Simmer briefly over a low heat, until the whites are set and the yolks just warm.

Remove from heat, finish with chopped pickled peppers, parsley, a blob of yoghurt, plus oil drizzle, and serve with lemon wedges.