Support breast cancer survivors in October by purchasing a pink punnet of mushrooms at your nearest Pick ‘n Pay. R1 from each pink punnet sold will be donated to Reach for Recovery’s Ditto Project. For more about this movement, visit mushroominfo.co.za

(Serves 4)

INGREDIENTS

400g baby spinach

500g portabellini mushrooms, sliced

olive oil

2T butter

5 medium leeks, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2T flour

350ml milk

salt and pink peppercorns
2t mustard

pinch nutmeg

½ cup grated Parmesan

4 large free-range eggs

 

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C and prepare 4 ramekins on a baking tray.

2. Blanch the spinach quickly by placing it in a colander in the sink. Pour over a freshly boiled kettle of water and immediately rinse with cold water. Squeeze all the water out and set aside.

3. In a large frying pan over high heat, sauté the mushrooms in a drizzle of olive oil until golden brown. Set aside.

4. In the same pan add in the butter, leeks and garlic and cook until the leeks are tender and the garlic is fragrant. Sprinkle in the flour, and stirring constantly, cook the flour for a few minutes.

5. Pour in the milk and stir until smooth. Bring to a simmer. Season with salt, pepper, mustard and nutmeg. Once the mixture is thick, remove from the heat and stir in the mushrooms, spinach and Parmesan.

6. Divide the mixture among the ramekins and create a well in the centre of each one. Crack an egg into each well and bake for 10–15 minutes until the eggs are cooked to your liking.

7. Sprinkle with some crushed pink peppercorns and serve.