Time flies when you are cooking yummy dishes

Hello and welcome to my 10th anniversary of All About Food! I cannot believe that I have had the privilege of writing for the Limerick Leader for over a decade. I have enjoyed submitting every column (having often been chased after missing my deadline) by the Leader2 editors.

Thank you also to my readers; thank you for your questions, your feedback, your food photos, your kind words and, on occasion, your generous donations of apples, plums, sloes and pears!

The biggest and most significant change in the 10 year of All About Food is thanks to one person, my husband Neil. In the past 10 years Neil and I got married and we went on to have two beautiful girls, Madeline and Kate. Without Neil the life I have been blessed with would never have come true; for that and for so much more I am eternally grateful.

Ok, back to food! I made this Baked Eggs recipe for the Leader's Kevin Corbett when he made the trip to Tipp to interview me this week Food & Drink supplement (see pullout inside). If you can, gather a few friends or family around this weekend for brunch and try this recipe - adapted from Sabrina Ghayour’s Persianna- you won’t be disappointed.

Baked Eggs with Feta, Harissa & Coriander

Serves 4

Olive oil

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3 large red onions, cut into thin slices

2 teaspoons of turmeric

1 teaspoon of ground coriander

1 teaspoon of ground cumin

½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons of harissa

4 large tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

Salt

40g fresh coriander, leaves chopped

200g feta, broken into small chunks

8 large eggs

Freshly ground black

Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to a preheated saucepan and sauté the garlic and onions over a medium heat until they begin to soften and become translucent. Add the spices and stir well before adding the harissa. After a couple of minutes, add all the tomatoes and season generously with salt. Stir well, reduce the heat and cook for 15-20 mins, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4. Pour sauce into a large baking dish, scatter coriander on top (reserving a handful for later) and stir in gently. Dot the feta around the dish, pushing some into the sauce and leave some on the surface.

Make 8 holes in the sauce and crack the eggs into them. Season well with black pepper and a little salt. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the whites of the eggs are opaque and cooked through. Sprinkle with the last handful of coriander and serve with warm, crusty bread or flatbread.

Contact gingergirl

www.gingergirl.ie

email: helen@gingergirl.ie

Gingergirl aka Helen Keown is an artisan food producer who produces a range of handmade luxury jams, preserves and chutney’s made from local, seasonal or organic ingredients. Helen’s produce is available nationwide from independent food emporiums and is also available at selected food delis across Europe.

Letters to ‘gingergirl’ c/o The Limerick Leader, 54 O’Connell St. Limerick.

You can follow gingergirl’s on Twitter – under gingergirlfood or on Facebook – under ‘gingergirl’.