Smoked Paprika Peppers & Eggs

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10 June 2020 BY Julie Biuso
SERVES: 4

Good bread is essential to mop up the scrumptious juices.

Ingredients

8 medium (size 6) free-range eggs, at room temperature 6-10 (about 200g / 7 oz) small ‘pointy’ peppers (capsicums) 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil Flaky sea salt Smoked paprika for dusting Handful small basil leaves Crusty bread for serving Extras Small olives 100g (3-4 oz) baby spinach leaves

Method

1 Have eggs at room temperature (see Recipe Notes below)). Carefully lower eggs into a saucepan of gently boiling water and cook for 6 or 7 minutes to produce eggs with just-set whites and flowing yolks, or adjust time according to your preference (allow a minute or two longer for large eggs). Drain off water and cool eggs under running cold water. Shell. Learn more about eggs here: Eggs

2 Halve peppers, remove cores and seeds. Put olive oil in a medium-large frying pan (skillet) and set pan over a medium heat. Add peppers cut side up. Once they start sizzling, cover pan with a lid and lower heat so they continue cooking gently without burning. Flip peppers over after a few minutes, cover with a lid and cook until tender. Season with sea salt and black pepper and turn off the heat.

3 Cut eggs in half and transfer to a plate or platter. Season with sea salt and spoon over peppers and all the juices. Dust with smoked paprika and scatter with basil. Serve immediately with crusty bread.

Recipe Notes

If small pointy peppers (sometimes known as King Sweeties) aren’t available use 3-4 smallish yellow and red peppers, halved, cored and deseeded and cut into fat strips.

If you are using eggs straight from the fridge, put them in a bowl and cover with hot water (not boiling water, just tap-hot) and leave them for a few minutes to take the chill off (if you don’t do this they will most likely crack when you put them in the boiling water, and the timing will not be accurate).

If serving ’extras’, swirl in olives or spinach once peppers are ready.