Spanish Baked Eggs – worth the effort!

This is a repost from about a year ago, but well worth repeating. Man, what a great dish this is!

Huevos a la Flamenca (Spanish baked eggs) — Scarily delicious!

DSC_0212asmall

Got out my strobes to shoot this – I wanted it looking really good.

Four eggs, prosciutto, potatoes, asparagus, peas, beans, onion, red pepper, chorizo… it all makes sense, right? It really doesn’t. But the payoff is a huge surprise – the best meal we’ve had in several moons. Many thanks to our bible on the cookbook shelf, The Essential Mediterranean Cookbookand to the entire nation of Spain!

To serve 2 hungry people or 4 average types, you’ll need:
  • 4 eggs at room temp
  • about 1 lb. chopped tomatoes (we used a large can of plum tomatoes, chopped up, reserving the liquid)
  • about 14 oz. diced potatoes
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 red pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup slices of prosciutto
  • 1/2 cup asparagus spears – just the top 3″ or so (try to get young, fresh asparagus, or frozen baby asparagus)
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup baby green beans, sliced lengthwise
  • 2 or 3 tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup chorizo, thinly sliced
  • (optional): chopped flat leaf parsley as a garnish
  • 1/2 cup water or liquid from the can of tomatoes
  • salt and pepper and cayenne, to taste

There are essentially three steps in preparation – sauteing, stewing, and baking, so I’ve broken it down accordingly:

1. Sauteing

Heat the oil in a large iron skillet over medium heat, add the potatoes, and saute for about 8 minutes until they’re golden. Set the potatoes aside, lower the heat, and add the sliced red pepper and onion. After a couple of minutes, add most of the sliced prosciutto (set some aside for later), fry for another few minutes until the onions are soft.

2. Stewing

First, set 4 asparagus spears aside. Add the rest to the pan along with the peas, beans, tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir in the liquid (either water or tomato juice). Return the sauteed potatoes to the pan, add salt, pepper, and cayenne (to taste), cover, and gently stew over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

At the same time, preheat the oven to 350.

3. Baking

Coat a large oval or circular ovenproof dish with oil (we used the base of our tagine). Transfer the stewed veggies to the dish, without any excess liquid. Now make 4 nicely spaced (symmetrical, even!) indentations in the veggies, break an egg into each, top with the reserved asparagus spears, the sliced chorizo, and sprinkle on bits of the reserved prosciutto pieces.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or so or until the egg whites are just set. In fact, the egg whites may not look set after 20 minutes, but they are — and the yolks will be quite firm. Garnish with parsley if you want, bring the dish to the dining table and serve it hot.

What’s intriguing to me is that this dish yields up so much flavor and satisfaction with zero herbs and spices (except salt and pepper). No garlic. No rosemary. No saffron! Enjoy!

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Ned White

About Ned White

Ned White is a writer, novelist, crossword puzzle constructor, traveler through 49 states, and at times a danger in the kitchen. He lives with his wife in South Thomaston.