EGGS PIPÉRADE

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

The sweet pepper and tomato sauté known as pipérade is a classic Basque accompaniment to scrambled eggs. Pipérade delivers richness, acidity, and tempered heat from a combination of fresh sweet peppers, tomatoes, and fragrant spices like paprika. Since we had already perfected our scrambled egg technique, we focused our attention on achieving a great pipérade. Tasters liked a combination of red bell peppers and Italian Cubanelle peppers for their sweetness and delicate fresh flavor. By using canned peeled tomatoes, we avoided chewy bits of tomato skin; draining the tomatoes of most of their juice kept the dish from being watery. Onion, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme offered aromatic complexity; a bit of sherry vinegar brought the flavors into focus. While in many pipérade recipes the eggs are scrambled with the vegetable mixture, we found that the liquid from the produce caused the eggs to cook up stringy and wet rather than fluffy and creamy. We opted to cook the eggs separately and then plate the two elements alongside one another to preserve the clean yellow color of the eggs. We prefer to make this dish with Cubanelle peppers, which are chartreuse in color and look similar to banana peppers; if you can’t find them, you can substitute green bell peppers. You will need a 12-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe.

SERVES: 6 to 8

TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
• ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch-wide strips
• 3 Cubanelle peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch-wide strips
• 1 (14-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained with ¼ cup juice reserved, chopped
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
• 12 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons water

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. COOK THE PEPPER MIXTURE

• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering.
• Add onion, bay leaf, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until onion is softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Stir in garlic, paprika, thyme, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add bell peppers, Cubanelle peppers, and 1 teaspoon salt, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until peppers begin to soften, about 10 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Uncover, add tomatoes and reserved juice, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture appears dry and peppers are tender but not mushy, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Off heat, discard bay leaf. Stir in 2 tablespoons parsley and vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer to bowl and cover to keep warm.

2. PREPARE THE EGGS

• Beat eggs, water, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper with fork in bowl until thoroughly combined and mixture is pure yellow; do not overbeat.
• Wipe skillet clean with paper towels.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering.
• Add egg mixture and, using heat-resistant rubber spatula, constantly and firmly scrape along bottom and sides of skillet until eggs begin to clump and spatula leaves trail on bottom of skillet, 1½ to 2 minutes.
• Reduce heat to low and gently but constantly fold eggs until clumped and slightly wet, 30 to 60 seconds.
• Off heat, sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.

3. SERVE

• Serve the eggs immediately with the pepper mixture.