Recipe by Liz Sempervive, Executive Chef of the Millstone Café
Ingredients
| ¼ cup | olive oil |
| 1 | onion (large) |
| 2 | bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced |
| 3 | garlic cloves |
| 1 tsp | paprika |
| 1 tsp | ground cumin |
| ½ tsp | ground coriander |
| To taste | salt and pepper |
| 2 | dry Chili de Arbol peppers (these are spicy so substitute accordingly) |
| 1 (28 ounce) can | whole peeled Tomatoes and their juice |
| 4 | whole eggs |
| ½ bunch | cilantro, washed and chopped |
| 6 | scallions, washed and sliced |
| Garnish | Feta cheese, crumbled |
| Garnish | Toasted hearty bread |
Directions
This is a one-pan dish! I prefer to use my 10-inch cast iron skillet, but any oven safe large sauté pan will work. Start your pan on medium heat, add the olive oil and caramelize the onions, garlic and bell peppers. Add in the paprika, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper and dry chilis. Let these toast until they become fragrant. Add in the can of whole peeled plum tomatoes and let simmer on low heat until the olive oil rises to the top, about 10-15 minutes. Stir it occasionally. The plum tomatoes are my favorite and when they are cooked long enough, they break down and sort of melt into the sauce. Sometimes I crush them with my hand before I put them in the pan to help move the process along (beware…splatter will occur).
Turn your oven to 375°F. When your stew is ready, turn off the heat on the stove and make a well for each egg with the back of a spoon. Crack each of the eggs into the wells you have created on top of the stew. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes—until the eggs are just set. The whites will cook through leaving the centers the same consistency as over-easy eggs. If you like your eggs more well done, just cook it longer. The way I check to see if they are done enough is to jiggle the pan. The eggs will move slightly and the whites will be mostly firm and opaque.
When the eggs are cooked to your liking, remove from the oven, top with the chopped herbs, feta cheese, and serve with warm toast for dipping in the eggs and sopping up the delicious pepper stew. Enjoy!
Chef’s Note: This stew can be made in advance and stored in the fridge, making smaller portions possible! It also makes an excellent sauce for pasta, as well as pan seared chicken!
Liz Sempervive is the Executive Chef of the Millstone Café and Catering at the Brandywine River Museum of Art. She hopes to bring nourishment to everyone through her scratch cooking, classic dishes and rustic cuisine. Chef Liz is passionate about food accessibility and supporting our local food systems. She believes that collective healing begins with sharing a meal between friends. Her accomplishments include being awarded "Best New Chef, 2019" in Main Line Today magazine and participating as a contestant on Food Network’s Chopped.