“These eggs are broken. Cracked.”
“Yes, ma’am. That happens sometimes.”
“Does it?”
“Yes, it’s the unfortunate part of being an egg.”

– Peter Hedges

I don’t exactly remember the first time I had chorizo but I know it was after I finished college and moved back to Ireland. The way I remember it was that my friend, Alberto, invited me to join him at a Spanish dinner party that was held in one of the hotels in Temple Bar. For a nominal sum, you could drink as much wine and eat as much manchego cheese, crusty bread and cured meats as your heart desired. It was so much fun and I made a lot of friends through these dinners as well as discovering a lot about Spanish food and culture.

While I really like a lot of cured meats and, at home, would eat more than my fair share of them, since those dinners, chorizo has stood out for me as the best of the bunch. I love the dark red colour, the slightly spicy bite and how well it works in a variety of ways, on a piece of bread, on a pizza baguette or in these egg muffins!

Over the last eight weeks, ever since I went to Laos, I have had a litany of health problems: food poisoning, hyperactive gut and a horrid cold that was causing EVERYTHING except for oranges to taste like salt. This has been causing a serious dilemma – I haven’t been able to eat any exciting food or cook anything really appetising for weeks. Plain bread/toast and oranges is incredibly boring. I had been really looking forward to Easter and to a delicious brunch with my friends but when the day rolled around I was in the middle of my “everything tastes like salt” dilemma and my appetite was really poor. However, I couldn’t let the side down so I decided to suck it up which led me to making these egg muffins for the second time. (and demolishing a plate of incredible pancakes, biscuits & gravy, french toast casserole etc, etc). The first time I made them was with cheddar but a lucky chance remark from my cousin while she visited led me to substituting feta for the cheddar. The feta definitely adds another layer of Mediterranean sunshine to these savoury bites. The feta and the chorizo go so well together it’s hard to believe that they traditionally wouldn’t.

This Friday, after another week of fairly bland food and after finally mostly recovering from my cold, I decided I couldn’t take any more boring meals and I popped off to the big Home Plus (supermarket) on my way home to buy some chorizo and feta. When I got home I recreated the egg muffins I had made at Easter, tossing in some fresh coriander/cilantro  as well.  I really like the addition of aehobak which is a Korean vegetable that seems to be a cross between courgette and pumpkin.

These egg muffins last about 4 days if you can keep your hands off them and they work quite well for brunch gatherings or as a quick breakfast on the go. Additionally, you can serve them with a salad and some toast for a light dinner or lunch. You can easily double the recipe to make more or halve it to make less (that’s what I did when I made them this weekend). The recipe below made around 30 egg muffins.

Lastly, before I leave you to read the recipe, a huge shout-out and thank you to my friend, Adam, for creating a lovely logo for me! Thank you so much!

Chorizo and Feta Egg Muffins

Makes around 30*

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp chili flakes
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 Korean 애호박 (aehobak) green pumpkin/ 1 small courgette/zucchini, diced.
• 1 tsp dried coriander/cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste
• 14 large eggs
• 150g feta, crumbled
• 100g Spanish chorizo, thinly sliced and diced
• 1 – 2 tbsp coriander, roughly torn
• ¼ cup coconut milk

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 175°Celsius. Place paper liners in each muffin cup (I only have one 6 cup muffin tin so I do everything in batches).
2. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the paprika and chili flakes and cook for around 15 seconds.
3. Add the onions, mixing well with the spices and let cook for 3-5 minutes. Stir once or twice.
4. Add the dried coriander,  red bell pepper and aehobak and cook until everything is soft and the onions are lightly browned.
5. Once cooked set aside to cool for a few minutes.
6. Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a large bowl and scramble.
7. Add the coconut milk, feta, fresh coriander and chorizo , mixing  thoroughly with the scrambled eggs.
8. Add in the vegetables .
9. Using a ladle, transfer some of the egg mix to each muffin cup, filing about half way to three quarters of the way. (My toaster oven is small so I can’t go above three-quarters of the way, and half way works best overall, so adjust accordingly.).
10. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes or until firm in the centre. Remove from the oven and let stand for a minute or so. Then, using a butter knife go around the edge to pop out the muffin. Place on a cooling rack for a minute or two and then serve immediately. Alternatively, let cool completely before refrigerating for breakfasts.
11. Repeat until the mixture is finished.

*As mentioned above I only fill between half way and three-quarters of the way so, with a conventional oven you would be able to make bigger muffins. Experiment and let me know how you get on!

TIPS

Vegetarian Option: Although these are called Chorizo and Feta Egg Muffins, you can leave the Chorizo out and they will still be delicious.  I have tried a few like that and I really liked it as well.

Make ahead:  You can make the veggie mix ahead of time. Also, as already mentioned you can make the egg muffins a few days in advance so if you are making a huge batch for a brunch you will have plenty of time to make them all!

Make it your own: Experiment with different vegetables and adjust seasoning to your own taste.