Braised eggs with leek and za’atar

Ingredients

2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
6 extra large leeks, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch slices (530g)
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
1/2 small preserved lemon, seeds discarded, skin and flesh finely chopped (2 1/2 tbsp)
1 1/4 cups / 300ml vegetable stock
7 oz / 200g baby spinach leaves
6 large eggs
90g feta, broken into 2cm pieces
1 tbsp za’atar

Put the butter and 1 tbsp of the oil into a large sauté pan with a lid and place over medium-high heat. Once the butter starts to foam, add the leeks, 1/2 tsp salt, and plenty of pepper. Fry for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the leeks are soft. Add the cumin, lemon, and vegetable stock and boil rapidly for 4-5 minutes, until most of the stock has evaporated. Fold in the spinach and cook for 1 minute, until wilted, then decrease the heat to medium.
Use a large spoon to make 6 indentations in the mixture and break 1 egg into each space. Sprinkle the eggs with a pinch of salt, dot the feta around the eggs, then cover the pan. Simmer for 4-5 minutes, until the egg whites are cooked but the yolks are still runny.
Mix the za’atar with the remaining 1 tbsp of oil and brush over the eggs. Serve at once, straight from the pan.

2025-11-01: made for lunch with Maria and ate with leftover soup. Used chicken stock instead of vegetable stock because we didn’t have any. Tasty with toasted sourdough. Maria thought it was a bit too acidic though.