Basque Eggs

I found this recipe a while back on one of my favorite sites: cuisine.co.nz It is a great dish once the zucchini is ready to harvest. The perfect dish if you have chard, tomatoes and zucchini. I have adapted this recipe. The original is on the link.


6  tablespoons olive oil
2 medium red onions, finely diced
4 zucchini, sliced less than 1” thick
1 small hot red chili thinly sliced or a roasted chopped green chili or two
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bunch of swiss chard, chopped
1 teaspoon sweet smoked Spanish paprika
1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leafed parsley
4-6 organic eggs
1 cup cherry tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper


Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil over moderate heat in a heavy frying pan (preferably one that can go straight into the oven). Add the onions, zucchini, chili and garlic. Panfry, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until everything has softened and browned.

Stir in the chard and saute for a minute or two. Then add the paprika and parsley, mix well then remove from the heat. If you are not using a frying pan that is oven-safe, oil a shallow ovenproof dish with the remaining oil. Pour the vegetable mixture evenly into the dish and break the eggs on top, leaving them whole and evenly distributed over the surface. (Use as many eggs as your dinner companions need)

Push the tomatoes in beside the eggs. Season with salt and pepper.

Place in the oven and bake 15-20 minutes or until the eggs are just set. Remove from the oven and serve. Serves 4

 Going into the oven

**Delicious. I love the smokey paprika with the fresh veges. Keep your eye on the eggs- you'll need to poke them to know how runny or cooked they are.