Baked Italian Eggs – and Olive Oil Giveaway!

October 25, 2010  •  Breakfast,

I was up early today – early enough to see the stars in the morning sky, then the sun shining brightly on the gorgeous golden fall leaves, then – much to my dismay – to see the wind whip through Denver, bringing cold weather, clouds and rain. I was hoping the forecasters were wrong. They weren’t.I know you aren’t supposed to use food to make yourself feel better, but I figured I had to have breakfast anyway and I needed to create a recipe to use the October olive oil from Gourmet Cooking & Living. So why not create something special (although very quick to whip up) for breakfast to make myself feel better about the weather at the same time? I started with eggs from my farm, tomatoes and Swiss chard from my garden (it’s on it’s 4th production cycle of the summer unbelievably) and some left over minced peppers and onions I found in the fridge.Chop everything up and saute it for a couple of minutes with some olive oil in the skillet.Today I’m using this month’s selection of oil from the Italian Olive Oil of the Month Club, Raggi Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The olives for this oil are grown on the Irpinia Hills in the Campania region of Italy and they produce an oil with a little bitterness and spice. You can win a bottle of this oil just by commenting below – the winner will be picked on Friday!Do you own custard dishes? Do they sit unused in your cabinet most of the time like mine? Can you imagine any better way to present breakfast to yourself than served in this cute dish with its wicker holder?Oil the inside of the custard dish then pour the sauteed vegetables into it.Sprinkle with a little grated Parmigiano cheese……then top with two whole eggs.Pour a little milk or cream (I used buttermilk because it was all I had on hand and it was tasty!) over the eggs to prevent them from getting hard and sprinkle more cheese on top.They only take about 10 minutes to bake up. Make sure to serve them with another drizzle of Italian olive oil before eating – the oil really shines when it’s used to finish a dish – and a sprinkle of basil if you have some on hand. Buon appetito!

Baked Italian Eggs
Serves 1

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons diced onion
1/2 cup chopped swiss chard
1 small tomato, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, divided
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon milk, or cream
extra virgin olive oil, for finishing
3 basil leaves, chiffonade

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat and add pepper, onion, Swiss chard and tomato. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes. Oil the inside of a 6 ounce ramekin then pour vegetable mixture into it. Sprinkle with 1/2 tablespoon cheese then crack eggs carefully over the top making sure not to break yolks. Drizzle eggs with milk to prevent them from getting hard in the oven, then sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until whites are set, about 10 minutes. If you prefer hard cooked yolks, cook at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. To serve, drizzle with extra olive oil and garnish with basil.


Don’t forget to comment below to be entered to win a free bottle of Raggi Extra Virgin Olive Oil, generously provided by my friends at Gourmet Cooking & Living!

Comments

7 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Jan says:

    This is a beautiful dish. I’ve seen several recipes for baked eggs, but his one looks lovely and I really love the vegetables included.

    October 25, 2010 at 9:53 am

  2. Jenny says:

    How do you keep your baked eggs from getting a plastic-like film over the yolks? When I made a baked egg recipe in New Zealand the yolks had a coating that was unedible…

    October 25, 2010 at 10:21 am

  3. Karen Doll says:

    Hi Michele,
    This dish looks WONDERFUL ! I have 6 laying hens and sometimes make egg dishes for lunch or dinner too. This looks like something my husband would enjoy. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
    Karen

    October 25, 2010 at 10:56 am

  4. M @ Betty Crapper says:

    My husband’s grandmother recently sent over eggs from her hens. Now I’ve got something new to do with them.

    October 25, 2010 at 1:11 pm

  5. Susan says:

    This looks so delicious – I love breakfasts like this!

    October 26, 2010 at 8:33 am

  6. Kelsey says:

    This looks absolutely delish! And so simple, yet elegant!

    October 27, 2010 at 6:22 am