Lebanese baked egg with spinach and sumac

One of my favourite spices is sumac; it has a sharp sourness and a bright colour that I cannot resist.

Sumac is an old spice, its name derived from the Semitic root "smq," meaning "red". The name has undergone various transliterations, "Sumach in Latin and Old French, and "Summāq" in Arabic, illustrating the old heritage of this spice.

The botanical plant is called Rhus coriaria, a plant that grows abundantly in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. One interesting fact about this red berry is that it was also traditionally used as a dye. Sumac was prized in ancient times for its tartness and was used before lemons became so widely available. As far back as 40-90 CE, Pedanius Dioscorides described sumac as a spice used as an anti-diuretic and an anti-inflammatory agent.

This is a lovely egg dish. The spinach adds an earthy note, the eggs a creamy, protein-laden layer, and the sumac brightens the dish with a subtle tartness. I love how this dish turned out, light and fresh.

The Lebanese Cookbook is a comprehensive volume, featuring 500 recipes, written by an authority on Lebanese cuisine. This book is the definitive guide on Lebanese Cuisine by James Beard award-winning author Salma Hage. That combines hundreds of diverse dishes, from light, tempting mezze and salads to hearty main courses, grilled meats, sumptuous sweets, and refreshing drinks. Salma Hage is from Mazarat Tiffah in the mountains of the Kadisha Valley in north Lebanon. She has over 50 years of experience in family cooking – learning to cook from her mother, mother-in-law, and sisters-in-law while helping to raise her nine brothers and two sisters. This massive volume is a collection of her work and a lovely book to have on your shelf.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

7 oz. baby spinach, stemmed if needed

Salt, to taste

3 tablespoons cream

A pinch of nutmeg powder

A pinch of salt

Eggs

Sumac, to garnish

Method:

Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan and add the garlic. Sauté on low heat for one minute until the garlic is aromatic but not coloured. Add the spinach and salt and cook on medium-low heat until the spinach has completely wilted. Add the spinach to an olander and allow it to drip for 10 minutes, using a spatula or your hands to squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can.

Mix the cream with the nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

In individual-sized ramekins, layer the dry spinach, followed by 1 tablespoon of the cream mixture. Crack a whole egg on top and sprinkle with sumac.

Heat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the centre.

Place the eggs on the rack and bake for 12-17 minutes, depending on how runny you want the yolks. Remove and garnish with more sumac, then serve immediately with a flatbread or sourdough of your choice.