Turkish Eggs on Roasted Pumpkin, Chorizo and Lentils

, from Issue #36. August, 2015
Photography by Manja Wachsmuth.
Turkish Eggs on Roasted Pumpkin, Chorizo and Lentils

Serves: 4–6

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Puy lentils, rinsed
500 grams pumpkin
200 grams button mushrooms
1 onion, sliced
1 red capsicum, sliced
2 cured chorizo sausages, sliced
1 x 400 gram tin crushed Italian tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/3 cup olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Eggs
4 eggs
4 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
¼ teaspoon each sweet smoked paprika, ground cumin and dried chilli flakes
juice of ½ a lemon

To serve
thick yoghurt
mint or coriander

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200˚C.

Cook the lentils in boiling salted water until tender. Drain well and set aside.

Peel the pumpkin and cut into 2 cm pieces. Halve or quarter the mushrooms if large. Combine with all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and toss well to coat in the spices.

Tip onto a large lined baking tray, scraping in all the spices and season generously. Roast for 20-30 minutes, turning the vegetables every 10 minutes for even browning. Add the cooked lentils and gently combine. Keep warm while you cook the eggs.

Eggs: Melt the butter in a non-stick sauté pan with the garlic, spices and lemon juice. Crack each egg into a small dish then tip into the pan. Spoon over the spiced butter and cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still soft.

To serve: Divide the lentil mixture between serving dishes and top each with an egg. Drizzle with a little yoghurt then spoon over the spiced butter and scatter with mint or coriander. Serve with warm flat-breads if desired. 

Pantry Note:
Puy lentils: these small slate-green lentils have a delicate blue marbling. Highly regarded for their unique peppery flavour and the fact they hold their shape during cooking. The only lentil to be identified by area of cultivation – grown in the Le Puy region of France. The same variety is grown elsewhere including Australia. Look for them in gourmet stores and good supermarkets.