How do you like your Eggs in the Morning?

So how do you like your eggs in the morning? Coddled, buttered, scrambled ( with smoked salmon oh yes please! ), poached, as the classic Eggs Benedict, an omelet or fried? Well here is something a little different. The classic Mexican breakfast egg dish is Huevos rancheros or fried corn chips topped with eggs and salsa. For the breakfast menu at Hugo’s Bar, Eatry & Store, Jersey, I wanted to do something as tasty but not with the corn chips, a nice gluten free option. So I adapted the classic recipe and developed my Baked Eggs and Bean Chilli.

So crank up the brilliant tune, squeeze some fresh orange juice and dig in to this wonderful breakfast treat. To save time make the chilli in advance and just heat up before baking with the eggs. Left over bean chilli makes a great vegetarian nachos.

Mexican Style Eggs                          serves 4

For the Easy Chilli Bean Stew

50 ml quality Olive Oil

1 large Onion, peeled and finely sliced

3 Garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 x 400 gr tin Chopped Tomatoes

2- 4 medium-hot smoky Red Chillies

400 gr Mixed Beans – Pinto, Red Kidney, Haricot, rinsed and drained

1 x 400 gr tin of Chickpeas, rinsed and drained

100 ml Vegetable Stock

2 tablespoons Tomato Purée

1 tablespoon Dried Oregano

1 teaspoon Caster Sugar

Juice of 1 Lime

1 teaspoon Ground Cumin

1 Bay Leaf

A small handful of fresh Coriander, roughly chopped

Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

8 large free range Eggs

A handful of freshly chopped Coriander to garnish

For the Chilli

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium-low heat, add the onions and sauté for about ten minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cumin and cook for a further couple of minutes stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add the stock, tomatoes, chickpeas, beans, oregano and sugar. Season with salt and pepper, bring to the boil and simmer gently for twenty to twenty-five minutes. Remove from the heat and add the lime juice and coriander. Correct the seasoning as required.

Preheat your oven to 350 F / 180 C / Gas mark 4 . Spoon some of the chilli into four shallow heat proof dishes and make two small wells in each. Crack in an egg into each hollow and place in the oven. Bake until eggs are cooked and the yolks are still just liquid. Top with chopped coriander and serve.