Basque Eggs

This recipe is adapted from one by Laura Calder in "French Food at Home." It was passed on to us years ago by our friend James as a great example of what to do with Piment d’Espelette. Piment d’Espelette is a lovely crushed chile that’s grown exclusively in the Basque region of France. It’s pretty pricey, but the flavour is incomparable. James was right: this dish is the perfect showcase for the spicy, toasty flavour of these rare chiles.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, julienned
1 green pepper, julienned
1 tsp Piment d’Espelette
1 lb tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper
4 eggs
8 slices prosciutto

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large, shallow pan. Cook the onions over medium heat until soft, then add the peppers, garlic and piment d’espelette and cook until everything is tender. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook with the lid on for another 10 minutes or so, until everything is meshing together nicely.
2. Crack the eggs directly onto the vegetables, spaced evenly apart. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and bake with the lid on until the eggs are just cooked. Make a nest of prosciutto on each plate and lift two eggs, with their vegetable beds, onto them. Serve with slices of toasted and buttered baguette.