Eggs with chorizo and manchego

I've always found Taste magazine to be quite inspired. Their recipes make you want to try them because they look accessible and not... snooty. Their down-to-earth quality really appeals to me because I feel that it will encourage even someone who has never picked up a spatula in their life to want to cook =)

Okay so I might be a little late with this, but I found a recipe for chorizo and eggs in the April issue and decided to try out. Zeroed in this recipe because it seemed easy, nutritious and colourful.

Below is the recipe from Taste magazine:

3tbsp olive oil

225g chorizo sausages, sliced

2 large onions, peeled and thickly sliced

1/2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika

1/2 tsp roasted ground cumin seeds

250g cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

1/4 tsp salt

4-6 size 6 eggs, at room temperature

100g manchego cheese, sliced

1. Preheat oven to 180C fan bake. Heat a smidgen (I used bout 1 tbsp) of oil in a large non-stick or heavy based frying pan (I used cast iron so that I could transfer it to the oven with no worries afterwards.) over medium heat. When hot, cook the chorizo for a few minutes on each side, then transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon.

2. Discard the fat then wipe out the pan. Reheat pan, adding the remaining oil, then add onions. Cook gently for about 15 minutes, until softened and just starting to brown. Stir in the paprika and cumin, cook through for 1 minute, then add the cherry tomatoes. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes, just to mix them but not to soften completely. Stir through the chorizo and most of the parsley, salt and black pepper.

3. (If you are using a pan that cannot be put into an oven because of its handle, transfer your cooking to an oven-safe dish =) )Make 4-6 indentations in the mixture and break the eggs into them, leaving out some egg whites as there will be extra. Cover the dish with a lid (or a buttered baking paper with aluminium foil pressed tightly around)

4. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the eggs are done to your liking. (However, they will continue to cook even after they are removed from the oven.)

Top with sliced manchego cheese and the remaining parsley.

Mmm..Caramelised onions, sweet cherry tomatoes, warm, creamy egg yolk and spicy, salty chorizo plus the kick from the smoked paprika.. This was the perfect comfort food!

My first thoughts when reading this recipe was "Whoa, 6 eggs!" But lucky for me I have a constantly ravenous boyfriend to finish everything for me =D I reckon this is a dish that has to be served hot from the oven and is not good for storing as you will see the food separate and juices come out of it. Not pretty.

I didn't splurge on the chorizo, as two skinny and short sausages cost almost 10 bucks at the supermarket. (Why so expensive? I thought big is better? =P) Carrying out my habit as a student, I opted for the slightly cheaper but not so authentic version. Might just splurge the next time I do this recipe though! Also, couldn't find manchego as there are no specialty cheese shops in this area or the supermarket that I usually frequent so I did some research and settled for a similar dry goat's cheese. Hm, I think you can also order manchego online in NZ.

PS: Forgot to put the cheese before I took the picture (I was really hungry =P)