Baked Eggs with Mushrooms and Spinach

                                                                                                                                         Photo credit: G. Drakopoulos - Food Styling: T. Webb

• Sauté the spinach in 2-3 batches in a pot with 1 teaspoonful of olive oil for each batch.
• Drain spinach. Put in a strainer and press down lightly to release all of the liquid. There should be about 2 cups of pressed, cooked spinach.
• Dry the pot with a towel. Melt the butter over medium to low heat. Add the onion and when it softens add the garlic for about 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms in 2 batches and turn the heat up to medium-high. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until they soften also and release their juices.
• Add the heavy cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg and finely chopped spinach and let it simmer for a bit.
• Remove from heat.
• Transfer mixture to a baking pan. Spread evenly and mold 12 little “nests” with your fingers to fit the eggs. Try to get the sides to rise a little to hold the eggs in place.
• Refrigerate for a few hours or up to 1 day, covered in plastic wrap.
• When you want to cook it or about 30 minutes before you want to serve the dish, turn the oven on to the highest temperature. Break an egg into every spinach “nest”. Cook until the whites are set and cooked but the yolks are still soft. You can check by pricking with a toothpick in different areas of the egg but generally it should take about 15-30 minutes to cook. Keep in mind that the eggs continue to cook after removing the pan from the oven, so it’s best to remove it a little earlier rather than later.
• Also, the eggs are never all cooked the same, since those that are near the edge cook faster than the ones in the middle.
• Remove from oven. Season with salt and pepper and grated parmesan.
• Serve immediately.