Baked Eggs with Tomatoes and Peppers recipe

Let the oven come fully up to temperature before you start on the pan; a properly heated oven helps the eggs set evenly without the veg losing too much moisture.

Keep the heat at medium rather than high so the onion turns translucent and sweet without catching, and stir often enough that the garlic never goes from fragrant to bitter.

Cook until the peppers have softened and the tomatoes have collapsed into a glossy, jammy sauce with little free liquid left; if it still looks watery, it will turn soggy in the oven.

Press the wells deep enough to cradle each egg white, but leave a border of vegetable mixture around the edges so the dish holds its shape.

Try to crack each egg into a small cup first, then tip it into the well to avoid broken yolks and stray shell; the whites should sit neatly in the indentations rather than spread across the top.

Watch for the cheese to turn molten and lightly golden at the edges, while the whites lose their raw shine; if the yolks start to look fully opaque, they are heading towards firm.

Finish with pepper after baking so its flavour stays bright and aromatic, and serve immediately before the eggs continue to set from the residual heat.