Baked eggs with ham in tomato sauce

Huevos a la flamenca

By: Omar Allibhoy
From: Spanish Made Simple
Serves: 4 as a tapa

This traditional Andalusian dish can be prepared in a snip and is ideal for chucking in whatever ingredients you happen to have in the fridge – plenty of veggies, a bit of ham (bacon or chorizo) and eggs. Just a few staples thrown together.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
300g	peas
300g	asparagus
or 1	red or green pepper, chopped
50ml	olive oil
2	garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1	medium onion, finely chopped
4 slices	serrano ham
or 1	chorizo sausage, chopped
1 x 400g	tin tomatoes
A pinch	sugar
1/2 teaspoon	sweet pimenton, (sweet smoked paprika)
1/2 teaspoon	finely chopped fresh parsley, Plus a little extra to garnish
4	eggs, (or 8 if you are really hungry)
	salt
	freshly ground black pepper
	bread, to serve
1/2 tsp	hot pimenton, (hot smoked paprika)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Prepare a saucepan with boiling water and add the peas, asparagus and a pinch of salt. Boil for 2 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the vegetables from cooking. Set aside.
Put the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and fry for a few seconds before adding the chopped onion and the ham or chorizo. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add the asparagus and peas. Cook for a further 5 minutes before adding the chopped tomatoes, sugar, sweet pimentón, hot pimentón and a pinch of salt (don’t over season at this point as the ham or chorizo will release more salt when baking). Cook it for 10 minutes over a low heat. Add the parsley.
Pour into a medium ovenproof dish or 4 individual dishes, crack the eggs over the top and season. Bake for 7–8 minutes or until the egg is cooked to your liking. Garnish with a little finely chopped fresh parsley and serve with good bread.