Basque-Style Baked Eggs Recipe

Basque-Style Baked Eggs Recipe Photo: Françoise Nicol
Alain Ducasse•

Serve these Basque-style eggs with nice fresh slices of whole-wheat or multigrain bread.

If you don't have a flameproof serving dish, use a skillet fit for serving at the table. If you cannot get Spanish Serrano ham, use an Italian cured ham, and trim the fat before cutting it. Peppers, onions, and tomatoes — plenty of antioxidants here!

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    • Basque-Style Baked Eggs Recipe
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    Prep Time
    15
    minutes
    Cook Time
    30
    minutes
    Servings
    4
    Basque-Style Baked Eggs Recipe
    Total time: 45 minutes
    Ingredients
    • 2 white onions
    • 1 red bell pepper
    • 4 tomatoes
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 4 oz. Spanish Serrano ham
    • 1 tbsp salt
    • 1 tbsp piment d’Espelette
    • 8 eggs
    Directions
    1. Peel the onions and bell pepper with a vegetable peeler and remove the seeds and membranes.
    2. Cut the vegetables into thin slivers. (Cut the tomatoes into quarters, being sure to remove their seeds.)
    3. Peel and chop the garlic cloves.
    4. Heat the olive oil in a flame-proof casserole dish. Hand sweat the onions and peppers for 5 minutes with the lid on.
    5. Add the tomatoes and garlic. Cook gently with the lid off until the liquid from the vegetables has evaporated.
    6. In the meantime, cut the ham into slices and chop the leaves from the basil. Add them when the vegetables are cooked and stir well.
    7. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and Piment d’Espelette or hot paprika.
    8. Spread the vegetables in a layer about 1 1/2 inches deep in a large flame-proof serving dish.
    9. Make 8 little hollows in the vegetable layer. Take the eggs and break one into each hollow.
    10. Cook gently until the white is set but the yolk is still runny.
    11. Sprinkle a few grains of sea salt over the casserole to serve.
     
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