This is especially for Steve Neal, a VSI guest from 2005,  who asked in a recent email:

“I do remember a spinach and egg breakfast you made on Sat. or Sun. morning but do not remember how you did it. I know you cooked the spinach some how and poached the eggs on top I believe it was delicious. I wish I remembered how you did it. ”

Thank you for remembering and asking Steve.  Memories are precious and you have made my day!!!  Here  is the recipe:

Skillet-Baked Eggs with Mushrooms and Spinach

 I so admire something that has had a long history of use and has pretty much stayed the way it always has been, but yet is still used in our modernized world. Cast iron vessels fit that bill. They have been used for cooking for hundred of year’s way before the modern stove was invented.  At that time, they were admired for their durability, their ability to retain heat, and for being a perfect cooking tool to hang over a live fire. In spite of being a bit heavy to handle, they are still wonderful in today’s world to use stove top for searing, frying or cooking stews and such; they also are fabulous to use for baking a dish started on the stove top and finished in the oven; or for baking cakes, cornbread and such. I most of the time serve my skillet dish straight out of it—with a pretty scarf or napkin tied around the handle.

Ingredients:

16 oz. fresh baby spinach or 1 (12 oz.) bag thawed frozen leaf –barely cooked, drained, and pressed/squeezed well to let the entire excess liquid out.

1 onion chopped

1 clove of garlic, chopped fine

6 oz. mixed or same kind mushrooms thinly sliced

2 Tblsp. sweet butter

1/3 C. heavy cream

1/8^th tsp. nutmeg

S&P

4 large eggs

2 Tblsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450

1. In a large cast iron or oven safe skillet, heat the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook till translucent (3-5 minutes). Increase the heat to medium nigh and add the mushrooms.  Cook, stirring occasionally until softened and any liquid is released (about 4 minutes).
3. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 45 to 60 seconds).  Add the cream, nutmeg, and spinach. Season with S&P.
4. Remove skillet from heat and using the back of a spoon, make 4 “nests” in the mixture.  Break an egg in each indentation. Season the eggs with S&P and sprinkle with cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny (about 8 minutes.)
6. Tie a pretty scarf around the handle and serve out of skillet at your dining room table.

As always, Bon Appetit!!~!!