Four cracking egg recipe ideas: Try Rachel Allen’s Turkish and Italian classics, or asparagus and chorizo showstoppers

The best convenience food of all, whether baked, fried, poached or scrambled, eggs are a winner for when you need decent food but don’t have lots of time.

These Turkish eggs, below, are just delicious at any time of the day. The chilli butter brings a salty kick to the soft poached eggs while tempered by the cool garlicky yoghurt and the burst of citrussy sumac.

This is the season for asparagus and eggs just love being paired with these green vegetable spears, whether in a rich buttery hollandaise or in a salad like this recipe below that also has punchy olive tapenade drizzled over the top.

Another winning combination with eggs is chorizo and in this simple brunch recipe, below - that is frankly great at any time of the day - you’ve got a crispy potato and chorizo hash that sits happily under the soft poached eggs, but if you prefer you can fry them instead.

A frittata is a thick omelette, lightly cooked in a pan and finished under the grill. Like omelettes, they are endlessly adaptable. Here’s a simple tomato and basil version, recipe below, but feel free to add in some smoked salmon or mackerel or chorizo if you wish. Just make sure to cook the frittata over a low heat so that it cooks right through to the centre before it has a chance to brown. Cut into wedges, it’s great for feeding a few, or use a small pan and make a scaled-down version for a delicious feast for one.

Turkish eggs

Serves 2

You will need:

• 25g butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red chilli, sliced into thin rings
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed or finely grated
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 100ml natural yoghurt
• 4 eggs
• A couple of pinches of ground sumac — see Rachel Recommends
• A small handful of coriander leaves
• Toast to serve

1 Place the butter in a frying pan over a medium to high heat and allow to melt. Add in the olive oil and the chilli slices and turn the heat down to low, allowing the mixture to simmer gently for 1 minute, then remove from the heat.

​2 Place the garlic and the lemon juice in a bowl and mix together, then add in the natural yoghurt stirring to combine. Season to taste.

​3 Place a saucepan of water with a good pinch of salt on a high heat to boil. Crack in the eggs, one at a time (see Tip) and poach in the lightly simmering water, turning the heat down so that it doesn’t boil vigorously, for about 3 minutes or until the eggs are cooked to how you like them.

​4 Lift the poached eggs out of the water, using a slotted spoon, and drain briefly on kitchen paper, then place 2 on each warm plate.

​5 Divide the yoghurt in blobs over the eggs, then drizzle with the chilli butter followed by a pinch of sumac over the top of each, and finally a few coriander leaves. Serve with hot toast.

Rachel Recommends Sumac is the spice that comes from grinding the dried berries of the sumac tree. It has a gorgeously fresh almost lemony flavour that’s used a lot in Middle Eastern cooking.

Top Tip I find the best way to poach eggs is first to break each egg into a cup that has a handle. Stir the water to create a ‘swirl’ then gently tip the egg in. Repeat with each egg. This helps to keep the egg white in a nice round shape.

Asparagus and soft-boiled egg salad with olives

Serves 2

You will need:

• 2 handfuls of salad leaves
• 1 tablespoon olive tapenade (see recipe, below)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 6 asparagus stalks

​1 Wash and dry the salad leaves, place them in a bowl and cover with damp kitchen paper. Store in the fridge until you’re ready to use.

​2 Place the olive tapenade in a bowl, pour in the olive oil and mix well. Taste to season.

​3 Place the 2 eggs, in their shells, in a small saucepan of boiling water and boil for 6 minutes, then drain and sit in cold water for 2 minutes. Once cool, crack the shells and peel completely. Set aside until ready to serve.

​4 Snap the tough woody ends from the asparagus and discard. Bring a saucepan with a few centimetres of water in it to the boil and add a good pinch of salt. Add in the asparagus stalks and boil over a high heat, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes, or until tender, then drain.

​5 Divide the salad leaves, and any edible flowers if you have them, between 2 plates. Cut the soft boiled eggs in half and place 2 halves on each plate followed by 3 asparagus stalks. Drizzle the tapenade over the top and serve.

Simple olive tapenade

Makes 75ml

You will need:

• 100g stoned black olives
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed or finely grated
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

​1 Place the olives in a food processor with the garlic, the capers and the mustard.

​2 Whiz to make a slightly rough puree, then add the lemon juice, a few twists of pepper and the olive oil.

​3 Stored in a jar covered with a layer of olive oil on top (to prevent the air getting in) the tapenade will keep for 6-8 weeks.

Poached eggs with chorizo hash

Serves 2

You will need:

• 6 small waxy potatoes
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 50g chorizo, sliced half cm thin
• 1 teaspoon chopped red chilli — optional
• 1 scant tablespoon chopped parsley
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 eggs

​1 Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, approximately 20 minutes, then drain and cool.

​2 Cut the boiled potatoes in quarters. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat and tip in the potatoes, tossing to cook until golden all over.

​3 Add the chorizo and the chilli, if using, turn down the heat and fry gently for another few minutes until the chorizo is crispy. Add in the chopped parsley, then set aside.

​4 While the chorizo is cooking, bring a pot of water to the boil with a good pinch of salt in it.

​5 Crack one egg into a cup and lower it gently tipping it out, into the simmering water. Repeat with the other egg. Poach the eggs until cooked to how you like them.

​6 Reheat the chorizo hash then arrange on plates and once the eggs are cooked, lift them out of the water, drain briefly on kitchen paper, and place on the potatoes. Serve straightaway.

Tomato and basil frittata

Serves 4-6

You will need:

• 8 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons basil, torn or sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 75g grated Gruyère cheese
• 25g finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed or grated
• 6 medium tomatoes, cut into roughly 2cm cubes
• 25g butter
• 23cm oven-proof frying pan

​1 Whisk the eggs in a bowl, then add the basil, the salt, a few twists of pepper, the grated Gruyère and the grated Parmesan cheese.

​2 Place the olive oil in a frying pan and on a medium heat. When hot, add the garlic, cook for a few seconds until almost golden, then add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes until softened.

3 Add the butter and when it starts to foam, tip in the egg mixture. Turn down the heat, as low as it will go. Leave the eggs to cook gently for 12 minutes, or until the underneath is set. The top should still be slightly runny.

​4 Preheat a grill. Place the pan under the grill for a minute to set the top. Slide a palette knife under the frittata to free it from the pan. Slide onto a warm plate. Cut into wedges and serve.