Little Effort, Big Results

From Tales from a Studio Apartment by David Silva

October 25, 2009

Brunch. Does that word scare you? I hope it does not.

Different. Is that what you want your presentation to be? It can happen!

I don’t know about you, but I am frittata’d out. I love frittatas, don’t get me wrong. They DO serve groups egg-cellently, (pardon the pun) but something in me wants to surprise my friends. “Wow” them, per se. Brunch is fun, just like the friends you invited, so stop scrambling (pardon the second pun) for new menu options and start baking.

Baking? Not breakfast baked goods, but eggs. Spanish inspired eggs.
We made a sauce:
2 red bell peppers peppers, diced
1 small onion, diced
Several dashes of sherry (to deglaze the pan)
1 can of diced tomatoes (or 3 fresh on-the-vine, diced)
1 Tsp. of tomato paste
Some chopped fresh parsley

We put this sauteed mixture on the bottom of 6 ramekins, or one for each person. On top, we placed 1 egg in each ramekin (don’t forget to spray cooking spray or brush some oil in the ramekins to prevent the egg/sauce from sticking). Throw in a pitted olive. On top of the yolk, (as garnish and flavor,) we crushed some saffron threads and sprinkled some minced garlic on the top of each.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 mins. until the eggs, especially the yolks, are set. I like mine well done, so I kept them in the oven for 30-35 mins.

Not only are these little guys cute, but they are special, delicious, and definetly not your every-day brunch fare. Well, at least for a group of 4-6 people. How easy is it to sautee some goodies in a pan and crack an egg on top? Super simple, and you’ll probably get an “Ooooo” from your friends. Little effort, big results. While the eggs are in the oven, toss a green salad to accompany your Spanish eggs. Slice a baguette. Kick back, relax, and enjoy a virtual stress-free brunch.

To see a couple of shots from this cooking adventure, see this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37131131@N03/