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A lot of the countries on the Mediterranean Sea share a similar
climate and growing conditions - therefore there may be a
lot of similar ingredients in dishes - but there can be many
variations on a theme. The food of the Mediterranean is a
combination of many different cuisines, all uniting the incredible
richness and creative cooking using vegetables and other local
ingredients such as eggs. Eggs add a delicious savoury flavour
to an often otherwise meagre table.
In Italian villages, market shopping can be done twice a day
to ensure everything is really fresh. Most of us associate
Italy with pasta as a basic ingredient, but there are lots
of other delicious dishes that are popular in Italian Kitchens.
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10 mins
18-20
mins
4
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30ml / 2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
350g / 12oz young spinach leaves, washed
1 (15g) pack fresh basil leaves, chopped
2.5ml / ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
4 large Lion Quality eggs
60ml / 4 tbsp half fat crème fraiche
25g / 1oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese
25g / 1oz pine nuts
salt and freshly ground black pepper |
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Preheat
the oven to 190°C/Fan 170°C/375°F/Gas
Mark 5. Heat the oil in a large pan, add
the onion and cook over a medium heat for
5 mins or until golden. Add the garlic,
then stir in the spinach. Cover the pan
and cook for 3 mins, shaking the pan occasionally
until the leaves are wilted. Transfer to
a sieve, then squeeze out the excess liquid.
Return to the pan, add the basil, nutmeg
and season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Divide the
spinach between four small ovenproof dishes,
and make a well in the centre of the mixture.
Carefully crack an egg into each dish. Spoon
over crème fraiche, scatter over
the cheese, and pine nuts then bake for
10-15mins or until the eggs are set.
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