August is here, and with it comes my usual brain dead reality. It’s as if the sun burns off any creativity or desire for being in the kitchen from my brain.
This year it’s even more pronounced, since we are moving at the end of the month, so instead of baking with the tart pans and pie plates etc, I have to start packing them away for the move.
In the meantime we still need to eat, right? So today I’m sharing one of my go-to’s when my imagination has run dry, but there are plenty of fresh veg at the markets. Invariably, meals like this usually involve eggs in some fashion. Eggs are the best! They come together so quickly and can be prepared in a plethora of ways!
What I am sharing is also more of a method than just a strict recipe. Take this and make it your own. Don’t feel tied to the recipe in the slightest.
Pipérade (means plenty of peppers) comes to us by way of the Basque region of Spain. Think of it as Ratatouille’s footloose cousin. It’s a blend of peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic and seasonings. It can be as intricate as you want to make it. You can slow cook it and turn it into a thick soup. You can cook it down and make a relish. You can use it as the basis for a Spanish Shakshuka. What I’m sharing today is the most basic and the easiest when it comes to prep. But just because it is basic, that doesn’t mean you will be shortchanged on flavour. This recipe has all the flavours that the fussiest version does. But in way less time!!
A classic way to serve Pipérade, is with eggs. Either baked or cooked right into the softened veggies, or scrambled up with them all, or even with a poached egg on top. I make it really easy for myself. I fry up eggs, since Jim likes his over hard, but I like mine sunnyside up. But scrambled by adding the eggs right into the pan with the veggies is another favourite of course. We love our scrambled eggs.
As a great side veg, charred scallions are hard to beat. And so easy to add on to any meal. As I’m finishing with the pipérade, I just transfer it to a bowl and place the scallions into the pan. I first drizzle them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and just let them cook over medium high heat till nicely charred. Their flavour mellows out, and really adds a nice smokey flavour to the dish. You can also do a bunch of scallions on the grill in the summer and serve them with burrata and chopped nuts, or chop them up after charring and adding them to labneh for a great dip.
To make the pipérade you will need red and green peppers to start. Of course, you can also use yellow, orange or even cubanelle peppers. I add the green one to keep the entire dish from being too sweet. I’m not a huge fan of just sweet veggies in a dish. For this reason I don’t add caramelized onions to pizza, or cook a lot with sweet potatoes. But you do you! You will also need a red onion or shallots, garlic, tomatoes, chilli flakes, salt and pepper, sherry vinegar, and the crowning touch: Espelette pepper. The Espelette chilli pepper comes from the same region as this dish. It has medium heat, (hotter than paprika, but not as hot as Aleppo) and has a fruity and smokey undertone. It brings all the punch to this dish. If you can’t find it, go ahead and use a combo of cayenne and paprika.
After softening the peppers, onion or shallots, and garlic, the tomatoes and the rest of the spices get added. You can let the tomatoes char and call it a day, or you can totally cook them down till they fall apart and create a thick sauce of sorts. If this is what you are after, feel free to use more tomatoes, or even use canned tomatoes, since they are already half way there. If this is what you are going for, and have filled the cast iron pan with all those amazing peppers and tomatoes, you could easily create little dents, crack some eggs into them and bake till the eggs are done. Shakshuka, Basque style! I’ll add better instructions below in the recipe. Just add some crusty bread to soak up all the juices and egg yolks!
This dish is usually dinner for us. But this would make a great savoury brunch dish. Or lunch. I will shrink the recipe for one and make it for a late breakfast for myself. Whatever you want! It comes together so quickly once you have the veggies cut up. In fact, if you want, cook up the pipérade in one pan, fry the eggs in another, and seriously, dinner is less than a half hour away from when you start. If you want to make the meal more substantial, make some roasted smashed potatoes or even some rice to serve it all on.
If you have a large assortment of zucchini, feel free to chop some up and add them in. Yes, it will no longer be Pipérade, but it will be a Ratatouille of sorts, and you were looking for a way to use up all that zucchini any way, correct?!
Here’s to cooking our way through August.
Love Jen
Eggs Pipérade with Charred Scallions
Egg any way you like along with the classic Basque dish of peppers and tomatoes can be brunch or dinner. Add some charred scallions on the side as a lovely smokey side
Ingredients
Pipérade
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red pepper sliced thinly
- 1 green pepper sliced thinly
- 1 small red onion or half a medium sliced thinly, from top to tail
- 4 medium garlic cloves sliced thinly
- 1/4 tsp chilli flakes , or to taste
- 4 roma tomatoes or 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved chopped
- bay leaf
- 1 tsp Espelette pepper , plus more for finishing
- cracked black pepper
- kosher salt
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 4 or more eggs depending on how many eggs everyone will eat
- small handful of dill, parsley and or mint as a garnish
- flakey salt garnish
- Crusty bread
Charred Scallions
- 1 bunch of scallions
Instructions
Pipérade
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In a large cast iron skillet, warm the olive oil over medium high heat.
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Add the peppers and onions. Sauté for about 5 minutes to soften. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and chilli pepper flakes. Continue until the peppers of almost tender.
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Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, Espelette pepper and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper.
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Cook until the tomatoes are softened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the sherry vinegar at the end. Taste and re-season if necessary. Transfer to a serving platter or bowl.
Scallions
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Using the same pan, add the scallions with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper to coat all over, and char over medium high heat till you get the char you like and the scallions are softened. Transfer to serve with the pipérade.
Eggs
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You can prepare the eggs in a separate skillet, while the pipérade is cooking, to speed up the ETA of the meal. Fry, poach or scramble as you want.
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You can serve the pipérade on a platter with the eggs on top, and the scallions on the side. Or you can simply serve up the pipérade on each plate with an egg on top, and a few scallions on the side. Sprinkle some Espelette pepper over the eggs. Scatter some dill, parsley and mint, and a touch of flakey salt all over and serve. See below for other options.
Recipe Notes
To make a fun scrambled egg dish: Once the pipérade is almost cooked through, whisk up some eggs and add to the skillet. Stir to get the veggies distributed evenly. Let the eggs set for about 10-20 seconds, and then gently stir till they are scrambled and just cooked through. Don't forget, eggs continue cooking even after removed from the heat, so don't overcook. Serve as is, with a final sprinkling of Espelette pepper and the herbs. Serve with crusty bread.
To make this into a shakshuka: Use 2 14 oz (396 ml) cans of chopped tomatoes and the juices in place of the raw tomatoes. Preheat the oven 375F. Once the tomatoes are cooked down, and a lovely thick sauce has been achieved with all the veggies, make four indentations in the mixture. Crack the eggs gently into the dents. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer the pan to the oven, and let everything bake until the eggs are just set, which should take about 7-10 minutes. Scatter the herbs on top. Serve with crusty bread.
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