The family felt that this had an ‘All day breakfast’ feel to it and it certainly would not be out of place as a ‘brunch’ meal as well as being a tasty and not to heavy main meal. It was listed in the book as a substantial snack, but I served it as a light supper dish on a hot day. I did not want to add chips, perhaps the natural choice, so we had boiled minted new potatoes which I would recommend or you could add crusty bread if you wish. The original recipe used cayenne pepper but I used smoked paprika – it seemed the right choice to go with a Spanish themed recipe – and dusted a little over the finished dish with some additional parsley. I also used a larger amount of sweetcorn, by mistake - I had added a whole tin before I realised the quantity was wrong. I have given the larger quantity as we liked it! If you want less corn then add half a tin. The remainder will freeze well for another occasion. I also feel that the combination of ingredients would be the basis for a good Spanish Omelette. You could make most of this in advance adding the eggs when needed as the whole dish will reheat in the oven. As an alternative the bacon could be replaced with sausages, either ‘frankfurter’ type or pre-cooked traditional chipolatas, cut into small pieces and spicy Spanish Chorizo sausage would be a good addition, especially with the smoked paprika. Vegetarian sausages are readily available.
The original recipe for Eggs Flamenco comes from Salads & Snacks by Carol Bowen, first published in 1981 by Sundial publications as part of a extensive series of paperbacks available from Marks & Spencer.
Eggs Flamenco
(Serves 4)
1tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
250g/8ozs lean bacon or ham, diced
2 red peppers, cored, de-seeded & sliced
6-8 medium tomatoes, cut into 8 or sliced
4ozs/125g button mushrooms, sliced
Salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste
Pinch of Cayenne pepper or Smoked paprika
1tbsp freshly chopped parsley (plus a little more to garnish)
1 x 325g/12oz tin sweetcorn, drained – use less if you prefer
A little more smoked paprika & parsley to garnish
4 large eggs (ie, 1 per portion)
1. Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion and garlic gently until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the bacon and red peppers and fry for 10-12 minutes, or until the peppers are soft.
4. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, salt, pepper, cayenne or smoked paprika and parsley. Continue cooking for about 5 more minutes until the tomatoes go very soft.
5. Stir in the drained sweetcorn and remove from the heat.
6. Pour the mixture into a heavy based ovenproof dish. Make evenly spaced depressions in the mixture with the back of a spoon and into each break one egg per person.
7. Place in the centre of the pre-heated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the eggs have set and the yolks are as you like them – do not cook for too long if you prefer your yolk to be soft and runny.
8. Just before serving sprinkle with the remaining chopped fresh parsley and a dusting of smoked paprika.
9. Serve hot with boiled new potatoes, or chips if you prefer and a simple green salad.
Vegetarian Variation:
This is easily adapted as it would be no problem to cook a meat free version, with or without vegetarian sausages.
