Piperade with Baked Eggs. One of my earliest culinary heroes was the restaurateur and TV chef Keith Floyd. I can remember watching him cook Piperade in the kitchen of a mildly disapproving French matron. Floyd was famous for cooking almost every dish with a cheeky slurp or two of wine, and this was no exception. The result isn’t perhaps the most elegantly presented dish, but it gave me an idea for my next haul of locally produced fruit and vegetables.
The weather has been baking most of the summer and almost too hot, although we have now had some rain. Despite this I had a great haul this week’s local Jersey farmers’ market and our farm shops. The suppliers have been doing an amazing job, and I came home armed with salads and vegetables. With the ingredients peppers, courgettes, aubergines and tomatoes my go-to recipe would be ratatouille or my delicious Confit Byaldi. But inspired by Keith I decided to make a lovely Sunday brunch and still have enough Piperade left to serve later in the week with some pasta, sausages, lamb chops or grilled fish.
What is Piperade?
Piperade’s origins are from the Basque region between France and Spain. The colours of the main ingredients, the red tomatoes, green peppers and white onion, are said to reflect the colours of the Basque flag. Flavoured with thyme and plenty of garlic, there is also a secret ingredient called Piment d’Espelette. This is a relatively hot, sweet red pepper like Cayenne or Paprika native to the region. Piment d’Espelette is a staple in Basque cuisine and used readily as a substitute for black pepper.
What to drink with Piperade with Baked Eggs?
If you are having the dish for breakfast, I suggest freshly squeezed orange juice and a coffee or tea; it’s probably a bit too early for alcohol even for me. However, if you are having the dish for a lazy brunch, then nothing could be better than a glass of bubbly. But if your tastes or budget don’t run to champagne, then try a Provençal Rosé or lightly chilled fruity red like a Beaujolais.
Piperade with Baked Eggs
Having stewed down the ingredients to make the Piperade in advance, the dish is relatively easy to make. All you need to do is gently reheat the sauce, then pour into an ovenproof dish. Make some wells, crack in the eggs, season and bake in the oven. You can finish the dish with some fried Bayonne Ham if you want. Alternatively, you can make the dish with scrambled egg by stirring beaten egg into a couple of generous spoonfuls of the sauce, cooking and serving with crusty bread.
Piperade with Baked Eggs
Ingredients
For the Piperade
- 8 ripe Tomatoes quartered
- 1 Red Pepper cut in half, deseeded and sliced
- 1 Green Pepper cut in half, deseeded and sliced
- 1 large White Onion peeled and thinly sliced
- 50 ml good quality Olive Oil
- 2 teaspoons of Tomato puree
- A splash of Sherry Vinegar
- 3 large Garlic cloves peeled and crushed
- 1 teaspoon Piment d’Espelette or hot Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Thyme
- Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
To Finish
- 4 free-range Eggs
- A small bunch of Parsley thoroughly washed, dried and chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan and gently sauté the onion for fifteen minutes until it is soft. Add the garlic and peppers and cook for five more minutes, stirring regularly.
- Sprinkle over the Piment d’Espelette, stir then add the tomatoes, tomato puree, sugar, sherry vinegar and thyme. Add a glug of water and gently simmer for around thirty minutes until the tomatoes break down and the peppers and onion are cooked.
- Carefully spoon the sauce into four dishes and make a well in the centre of each. Crack in an egg and season generously before baking in a preheated oven at 350 F / 180 C / Gas Mark 4 until the eggs are set. Garnish with parsley and serve
Notes
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