Green & Sunny Skillet

Green & Sunny Skillet

This is my first post on skillet cooking and I promise you there's going to be plenty of them in the future. I mean, just look at that skillet, isn't it a thing of beauty? I bought it new and unseasoned and I'm putting a lot of hours lovingly seasoning it. I cannot wait until it turns into a beautiful black patina.

But enough about the skillet. Maybe I would blog about how to properly season and care for this heirloom-worthy pan some other time. But today, I'm going to share the easy recipe I prepared on my birthday brunch, Green & Sunny Skillet-- a spinach and roasted pine nuts egg bake.

I adjusted the recipe from the original egg bake that I made. I used 200g of fresh spinach at that time, (2 bags). I thought that was more than enough...NOT! When it wilted, I ended up having about 2 cups of it. So, to "beef" it up, here's the adjusted recipe. By the way, it tasted great, that is why I was left wanting for more!


Difficulty: Medium

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time:25-30 minutes
Total Time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients:
500g fresh spinach or 5 cups frozen spinach
4 tbsp pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 large eggs
2 tbsp EVOO
1 tsp sea salt + few sprinkles on top of eggs
1/2 tsp pepper + few grounds on top of eggs
parmigiano reggiano, shaved (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 180*C.

2. Toast the pine nuts in a dry, non-stick pan over medium heat. Shake the pan frequently to ensure even browning. Once the nuts are slightly browned, remove from heat and transfer the nuts into a bowl. Set aside.
Note: Do not leave the pine nuts in the hot pan or else the nuts will continue to brown.

3. Prepare the cast iron skillet by coating the inside of the skillet with EVOO (that's Extra Virgin Olive Oil), about 1 tbsp. Once coated, add the rest of the EVOO and turn the stove top to medium heat.

4. Saute garlic until medium brown. Add the spinach and stirring occasionally until slightly wilted. Then add salt, pepper and roasted pine nuts until well combined. Be sure to taste and add salt and pepper if desired. Turn off the heat.

5. Make 4 evenly spaced indentations for the eggs. Crack the eggs onto those dents or wells one at a time. Bake for 8-12 minutes depending on how you like your egg. 8 minutes will give you a soft-yolked and runny egg, which is how I like it. If you want a firmer set, leave it for a minute or 2 but keep an eye on it, you wouldn't want a rubbery-textured egg, that will ruin this beautiful dish.

6. To serve, sprinkle freshly ground sea salt and black pepper on top of the eggs and sprinkle freshly shaved parmigiano reggiano on top. Serve in the skillet of course!


If you like the recipes in my Barefoot Contessa Birthday Brunch, here are the links:
1. Hasselback Potatoes
2. Sauteed Mushrooms with Garlic and Herbs
3. Green & Sunny Skillet
4. Flavored Butter
5. Roasted Garlic Spread (posting soon!)
6. Bacon Chocolate Cupcakes
7. Summer Iced Green Tea (posting soon!)



14 April 2012
Home-cooked Meals