I'm not discovering anything new if I tell you that I love eggs cooked in any way. And it is not news that I am enthusiastic about quick, easy and decisive recipes. Well, these eggs in mini cocotte really are a brilliant breakfast, or a delicious and super quick lunch or dinner! Because not only are they delicious, but the difficulty in preparing them is non-existent.

Do you want a nutritious and complete breakfast, but don't feel like getting complicated? This is your recipe. You can't think of what to do because you always have the same dinner? This is your recipe. Do you have guests and don't know what dish to surprise them with? This is definitely your recipe.

So you can see that I'm not deceiving you, here it is. So that you can discover it, replicate it, transform it and adapt it to your taste with the accompaniments you prefer, the spices you like the most and the way of preparing it that best suits you according to the time, the desire and the ingredients you have in each chance.

Ingredients for 4 people

• 8 large eggs from free-range chickens
• Extra virgin olive oil or butter
• 4 slices of smoked salmon or cured ham
• Kale leaves, stems removed (or some baby spinach leaves)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• To decorate: roasted cherry tomatoes, some sprouted sprouts, grated parmesan cheese or chopped chives or parsley.
• And of course, bread to accompany.

Preparation

1. Put a little EVOO or a knob of butter at the bottom of each mini cocotte and line the inside with kale leaves or spinach.
2. Next, crack two eggs into each mini cocotte and distribute the strips of smoked salmon or cured ham
3. Crack two eggs into each cocotte and place a slice of smoked salmon or ham between the eggs.
4. Season to your liking and cover.

Cooking in the microwave... In just a few minutes!

1. Put the mini-cocottes in the microwave. In the micro, the time is about 2.5 minutes per mini-cocotte (if you make them at the same time, you will need about 9 minutes for them all to be done). The truth is that they cook super fast, and what is important is that, after about 3-4 minutes, you lift the lid of the mini cocottes to release the steam they have contained, otherwise the lid pops off and part of the egg explodes (soiling possibly the microphone). Thus, all you have to do is lift the lid after a minute and a half of starting if you cook them individually, or after 3 or 4 minutes if you cook the eggs at the same time: you stop the microwave, lift the lids of the mini cocottes for a second , cover again and continue cooking.

Cooking in the oven

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Place the mini-cocottes on the tray halfway up the oven and cook at 190ºC for 15-20 minutes (or until they are set or cooked to your liking).
3. When they are ready, take the mini cocottes out of the oven and decorate with some roasted cherry tomatoes, a little grated Parmesan cheese, finely chopped parsley or chives or a few sprouts of your favorite sprouts.
4. Serve hot accompanied by a good slice of homemade bread, and enjoy!

Grades

• You already know that, if the recipe allows it, I always invite you to adapt it to your taste. You can add some sliced ​​mushrooms, put ham or salmon cut into not very small cubes, change the salmon for some shrimp tails, or the ham for a little chorizo ​​or turkey, use chard, kale or even some green beans chopped... the limit should always be your imagination, or the ingredients you have in the pantry!
• I mentioned accompanying the eggs with some roasted tomatoes or peppers. In this way, it is ideal if you want to arrange a Naturals tray (or another mini-cotte if you have it) with some vegetables seasoned with salt, pepper and oil, and you put them in the oven at the same time as the mini-cocottes. This way you prepare the ideal accompaniment at the same time!
• This recipe looks great presented in the beautiful mini cocottes from Le Creuset . But you can also make it in bowls or ramekins and cover them with film or baking paper.
• In the original recipe the eggs were baked in a bain-marie. You can do it this way if you want if you want a softer cooking of the ingredients, but it will require a few more minutes of baking.