Adapted from “Pintxos,” by Gerald Hirigoyen and Lisa Weiss (Ten Speed Press). Serves 6.
Ingredients
3 cups piperade (see below)
2 cups good-quality chicken stock or veal stock
2 cups dried cannellini beans, picked over, rinsed, soaked overnight and drained
2-ounce piece smoked ham
2 choricero peppers or other earthy, smoky dried pepper
6 eggs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
Directions
In a large saute pan, warm the piperade over medium- high heat until hot. Add the stock, beans, ham and peppers and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the beans are tender all the way through and neither crunchy in the center nor falling apart and mushy. Remove from the heat, and remove and discard the piece of ham and peppers. Let the bean mixture cool for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until warm or room temperature. (At this point, the dish can be cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days. Rewarm on the stove top just until warm before baking with eggs.) Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400.
Divide the bean mixture among 6 shallow baking dishes, each about 5 inches in diameter and 1 inch deep. Make a small well in the center of the mixture in each dish, and break an egg into each well. Place the baking dishes on a large rimmed baking sheet or directly on the oven rack. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still soft.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle each dish with salt and pepper and a few parsley leaves. Serve immediately.
Piperade
Makes 3 cups.
Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips
6 garlic cloves, crushed or thinly sliced
4 ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into rough 3/4-inch cubes
Directions
Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add olive oil and warm it until it ripples. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic and tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables have softened and have begun to color. Remove from heat and let cool.
Season to taste with salt and pepper before using, and then use immediately, or store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
