Friday 26 January 2007

Another way with eggs

I shan't kid anyone into thinking I just made these, because those of you with eagle eyes would have spied a corner of this dish lurking in the background in the photos of my leek & gouda tart. Anyhow, the gaudy colours and sunny flavours of these tomatoes-doubling-as-pots make it easy to forget it's winter, so I'd like to do my bit of public service by posting this photo.

There are no rules on what should go into the tomato, so mine is but an example. Origins unknown, so they'll be classified under the convenient label "Fusion" for now. :)

How to: Remove the cores and seeds of 6 giant tomatoes, and keep the tops and flesh if you wish to, but be careful not to pierce the walls of the tomatoes, especially if they're very ripe. Coat the walls of the hollowed-out tomatoes with salt then turn them upside down to drain for at least half an hour (the longer the better).

Dice a medium onion, a green capsicum (I hate the sweetness of red ones) and tomato cores (if using) and crush several cloves of garlic (they lose their zing after cooking, so I don't see the difference between 1 and 10). Slice up a chorizo or cut into cubes and microwave for a minute or heat in a saucepan to remove excess oil. Heat some oil and fry the onion until it gets translucent, then add capsicum, tomatoes and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes, then add enough white wine or Martini Bianco to cover, and let it simmer for another 10 - 15 minutes, then add salt and pepper to taste.

Rinse the tomatoes if necessary and arrange in a deep dish. Preheat oven to 180°C, then proceed to fill the tomatoes halfway with the vegetable mixture, then top off with chorizo cubes. If there's excess stuffing and chorizo, fill in the gaps between the tomatoes like I did. Bake until the chorizo sizzles, then crack an egg over each tomato. Continue to bake until the eggs cook according to your preference.

Variations: Olives, rice, zucchini, bulghur, raisins, dried apricots or dried figs can be used to retain that Mediterranean feel. Otherwise, the possibilities are endless! Anything that can fit into a tomato can and should be tested!

Body Count: 1 whole horseshoe chorizo.

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Yum yum. how innovative. people usually use capsicums right as 'pots'. hehe..

Shilpa said...

heh heh, I guess anything firm enough can do the job.. :)

Anonymous said...

those are huge tomatoes!you can also just hard-boil the eggs, mash them up(like egg salad), then stuff into the tomatoes, and bake!

Melting Wok said...

shilpa, so healthy, easy and yummy !!! Wish I can cook anything else besides asian food like u :( No dedication hahaha, luckily can come here and peek-a-boo for a moment, I'm happy :)

Shilpa said...

Tiger, sure, I also make the cold version sometimes, with hardboiled eggs, tuna and mayonnaise (no baking). :)

MW, glad I could be of help! :) Do you mean you cook mainly Asian food because you prefer its taste or because you're more familiar with it? I have long streches when I cook only Asian, but need a change once in a while :)

Claude-Olivier Marti said...

Ah oui décidément, tu es vraiment egg-adicted !!! Mais pour notre plus grand plaisir avec des recettes comme celle-ci !!! Same player shoot again ??? ;-)

Biz
Claude

Shilpa said...

Coucou Claude, c'est que le début de la folie! :) Ce weekend j'en ai utilisé 13 pour 4 différents mets.. ;-) tu vas bientôt voir comment, mais désolée, uniquement 2 sur les 4 mets seront montrées, car un "bread and butter pudding" j'ai pas encore maîtrisé la méthode pour lui conférer une apparence appétisante!! :)

Bong Mom said...

hey breaking the eggs over the tomatoes is aneat idea. Going to try that next time when I bake my tomatoes

Shilpa said...

Hi Sandeepa, alternatively, the egg can be put under the vegetables, so it doesn't harden and dry out, and will also be a hidden surprise!