Easter eggs

Author:

Easter Eggs, Stewart Turner Berry Bros. & Rudd With only days to go until Easter celebrations, we turn to Head Chef Stewart Turner for a recipe suggestion that brings the more traditional egg to the table, providing the ideal start to any long-weekend

As Easter approaches I thought I would come up with a recipe – maybe unsurprisingly using eggs, although not of the classic chocolate “Easter-egg” variety. When I first started out, egg dishes were a firm favourite on menus, at the Waterside Inn we always had one on, whether it was scrambled eggs with mounds of caviar or poached eggs with asparagus and hollandaise, never has the humble egg reached such lofty heights!

A simple dish of scrambled eggs can be a thing of great beauty and one that I love. In most blog pieces at this time of year I’ll wax lyrical about wild garlic – it has to be one of my favourite spring ingredients, so today I won’t bore you on the finer details again, but rest assured, it will make an appearance.

Spring also sees the arrival of the mighty morel. I’m an avid mushroom fan and these little beauties are Queen to the King of mushrooms: the cep. They are probably the most expensive of the wild mushrooms but well worth the investment, we seem to have a great season on our hands this year so if you haven’t had them before, now is the time to try. I think this is a cracking way to start your Good Friday or Easter Sunday.

Baked eggs with wild garlic and morels – Serves 4
  • 8 eggs
  • 100g morels, well washed and sliced
  • 100g wild garlic
  • 200g spinach
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1tbsp whole grain mustard
  • 50g grated parmesan
  • Butter
  • Olive oil
  • 2 plum tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and diced
  • 1 shallot, peeled and finely diced
  • A small handful flat parsley, picked and chopped

Heat the oven to 180C. Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan and fry the morels until the juice given off has evaporated and they start to brown. Add the garlic and shallot, a knob of butter, and fry for another couple of minutes, then stir in the tomato and chopped parsley. Spoon this into a bowl and set aside.

Return the pan to the heat, and with another splash of olive oil, add the spinach and wild garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes until wilted, remove from the heat, and mix in the mustard and the parmesan.

Tip the spinach into a buttered and seasoned baking dish and spread out. Crack the eggs into the gaps, then bake for 12-15 minutes until the whites have set and the yolks are done to your liking. A couple of minutes before the eggs are done sprinkle over the morel mixture. Serve with toasted sourdough.

Want to match a wine? We’d suggest a vibrant, sparkling Crémant de Limoux.