The perfect Sunday brunch dish

It has been a family tradition for decades to have Sunday brunch together. The main dish served at these brunches is usually an egg dish which has become know as an egg pan or egg bake. It is something like a Spanish omelette but not really. Suffice it to say it consists of various goodies covered with egg and cooked until set. The variations have been many but the the recipe below sums up for me the most simple and reliable version. 

I have now made this dish three or four times for the family I am working for. They and their guests are huge fans and I can see this starting to become a Sunday tradition here too. 

Egg pan

Serves 4 - 6

2 Tbsp of olive oil

1 medium onion, quartered

2 large cloves of garlic, sliced

2 medium tomatoes, top and bottom sliced off, then cut in half widthways

2 tsp of sugar

1 pepper, yellow, orange or red, cut into large pieces

6 large eggs

Salt and pepper

Additional seasoning of choice (if desired) 

½ a cup of crumbled feta cheese (or grated parmesan)

½ a cup of fresh chopped herbs, like parsley, basil, thyme, chives

Fry the onions and garlic in the oil for a few minutes, in a medium sized non-stick pan with an oven proof handle. Add the tomatoes to the pan and scatter the sugar over the tomatoes, try not to get any in the pan and only on the tomatoes. Fry for a minute or two. Add the peppers and feta to the pan, drop the heat to low heat and cover the pan with the lid. 

In a bowl, crack your eggs and season with salt and pepper and any other herbs or spices of your choosing. Lightly combine with a fork. Pour the egg mixture over the veggies and cover with the lid. Allow this to cook on low heat for about 10 - 15 minutes or until the egg has begun to set at the bottom of the pan. It is really important to get the heat right. Hot enough to cook the egg, but not so that it burns the eggs at the bottom of the pan.

Pre-heat your oven on grill. Place the oven rack quite close to the element. Once the egg has begun to set at the bottom as described above, remove the lid and transfer this into the oven. If the whole pan with handle and all don’t fit into the oven, leave the door open a crack. Allow the eggs to set on top. Remove from the oven, scatter with the fresh herbs and serve immediately. 

In my opinion the fresh chopped herbs is a vital part of this dish, but it may not be everyone's cup of tea. If you or your family are not huge herb lovers I would suggest that you try introduce this slowly by adding some into the eggs before you bake them and then placing a bowl of herbs on the table when you serve the eggs. Encourage everyone to have some and I feel sure that before you know it that bowl will be empty. Choose mild herbs like basil and Italian flat leaf parsley, then later perhaps add thyme, oregano and chives.