Random recipes : Potatoes, Okra & Baked Eggs

I always love taking part in Belleau Kitchen's monthly Random Recipe challenge because it's exciting not knowing what you'll end up cooking. This month, the lovely Dom went one step further, taking us even further out of our comfort zone by making us choose a recipe book that has been sitting unloved on the shelf. "Take a long hard look at all your books", he said, "and find the ones (or maybe it's just one) that you REALLY never use... never even look at... or simply don't care for any more and give that blessed book one last chance for survival"... Well, in my case, that book was Stevie Parle's Dock Kitchen Cookbook - Real Home Cooking From Around The World. The recipes just don't sound like the things that would go down well in The Madhouse - Elderflowers in Grappa Butter ? ("Ewww Mum, there's a dead flower on my plate!") Others use too many ingredients that I would never have in the cupboards or fridge - Pigeon with Pomegranates & Walnuts ? Whole John Dory Roast Over Potatoes? Chicken Livers With Seven Spice & Pomegranate Molasses? Thai Grilled Quail ? Hmm, certainly not things I could throw together at a minute's notice.

OK, time to cross my fingers, say a little prayer and open the book at ... page 92 - Potatoes, Okra and Baked Eggs. That actually works really well because I've never cooked with okra in my life but I just happen to have a pack in the freezer that came in a recipe challenge hamper and never got used. Well done Dom - it probably would have still been there this time next year if it wasn't for your challenge !

Potatoes, Okra & Baked Eggs

ingredients :

200g potatoes

salt

2 small red onions, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 heaped tsp coriander seeds, ground

2 small hot chillies, crushed

olive oil

200g okra

3 tomatoes, torn up (which begs the question : how do you tear up a tomato?!)

a few sprigs of mint and parsley, roughly chopped

4 eggs

Peel the potatoes , cut into wedges and boil until just soft. Preheat oven to 200°C. (I didn't bother peeling them. That's not just laziness - it all adds fibre and I prefer the texture !)

Meanwhile, fry the onions and garlic, coriander and chillies in olive oil until soft. Cut the stalks from the okra and halve each finger. Add to the onion mixture and continue to fry. Add the tomatoes. Check the potatoes are soft and add them to the pan. Add extra olive oil if it doesn't look glossy enough.

Transfer to a baking tray or ovenproof frying pan and stir in the herbs.

 Break the eggs on top. Bake for a few minutes until the whites are set and the yolks still runny.

Well, I'm astounded to say that the whole family thought this was delicious, with the kids even asking for seconds. I tweaked the recipe slightly, adding bacon and omitting the chilli and coriander (but adding some ground cumin and Spanish seasoning instead), so that it was kid-friendly and not spicy. The okra has a very mild flavour like courgettes. I did overcook the eggs though - by the time the white was set, the yolks had gone hard too, which was a shame - not sure how I could remedy that so let me know if you have a way round it !

If you want to join in with the Random Recipe challenge, head over to Belleau Kitchen. You've got until the 29th May for this month's challenge.

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Madhouse recipe : Lychee, Rose & Dried Cherry Yogurt Muffins

Stapleton Yogurts review and recipe roundup

#ReadCookEat recipe : Lemon scones (inspired by Above All Things by Tanis Rideout)