Eggs Baked in Tomatoes with Prosciutto and Basil Puree

I have been meaning to make this dish for a few weeks now, but had not found the time for a leisurely Sunday morning where I could afford to try it out and take the time to appreciate the result. This morning, the timing was just right: I had a couple tomatoes just asking to be cooked, and Oliver and I were both in the mood for a nice breakfast. I really enjoy making dishes like these that are hearty, fairly easy and fail-safe and that look and feel so deliciously rustic. I’ve taken a liking to serving food in my cast iron at the dinner table, and this would a great opportunity to do just that.

I got this recipe from Delicious magazine and slightly adapted it. It was truly one of the best meals I’ve had in the past few months. The salty prosciutto gets crispy in the oven, the tomato flavor intensifies, the basil smells wonderfully fragrant and the egg yolk breaks as soon as you dig in. Need I say more?

Recipe (for 2)
2 large tomatoes
A handful of basil
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Freshly ground pepper
2 slices of prosciutto
2 eggs, at room temperature

Preheat your oven to 350F. Cut the top of the tomatoes with a sharp knife and gently scoop out the seeds and juices with a spoon. Lay them upside down on a couple sheet of paper towels to soak up extra moistness. In the meantime, using a mortar and pestle, smash the basil until it forms a paste. Add a pinch of salt, and drizzle a little olive oil to loosen the basil. Add some black pepper. Check that the tomatoes are dry inside, and dab the inside with an extra paper towel. Wrap a slice of prosciutto around the tomato, and, using a toothpick, seal both ends so they fit snugly around the tomato. Smear some of the basil paste inside the tomato.

Drizzle a little olive oil in a cast iron and lay the tomatoes in the pan. Cook for 15 minutes. Gently add the egg inside of each tomato and cook for another 8-10 minutes or until the egg is cooked to your liking. Remove the toothpicks and add a little salt and black pepper. Enjoy!

For the rest of this post, please visit my blog at http://www.chocolateshavings.ca
Enjoy the read!

Olga

November 30, 2008 at 9:04 pm (15 years ago)

That looks awesome! Glad I could be a bit of inspiration 🙂

Have a great week!

Nurit "1 family. friendly. food."

November 30, 2008 at 9:40 pm (15 years ago)

This look so good and tasty and I like that it is simple. I usually don’t cook breakfast, it is each person on their own in our house, so an easy to make breakfast/brunch is great.

raj

November 30, 2008 at 9:55 pm (15 years ago)

this looks so good!
you went to the fci!
me too! 🙂

bloggingexperiments

November 30, 2008 at 10:21 pm (15 years ago)

OMG! This looks amazing!! I can’t wait to give this a try. Glad I found your blog.

Sherry

mysweetestday

November 30, 2008 at 11:07 pm (15 years ago)

wow that looks awesome!

Me

November 30, 2008 at 11:13 pm (15 years ago)

I so have to try cooking eggs inside tomatoes. Sounds genius

Peter M

November 30, 2008 at 11:30 pm (15 years ago)

Pertiest little egg warps I’ve seen in awhile…bravo!

MyLastbite

November 30, 2008 at 11:40 pm (15 years ago)

really beautiful!

Dawn

December 1, 2008 at 11:49 am (15 years ago)

yes rustic, but so simple and pretty looking.

ttfn300

December 1, 2008 at 1:00 pm (15 years ago)

holy cow, this is amazing!!! thanks for visiting my blog–i’m loving your site 🙂

Indigo

December 1, 2008 at 4:00 pm (15 years ago)

Oh, I’ve also been wanting to try this for ages! You’ve prompted me into it; looks like tomorrow’s breakfast ^__^.

Deborah

December 1, 2008 at 5:13 pm (15 years ago)

I have always wanted to try this – what an elegant way to have breakfast!

cherie

December 1, 2008 at 5:14 pm (15 years ago)

I want breakfast right now! I have seen this recipe in Delicious magazine. Yours looks a lot better!

Abby

December 1, 2008 at 8:42 pm (15 years ago)

A great idea for Brunch and it makes such a good presentation.

Life for Beginners

December 1, 2008 at 11:01 pm (15 years ago)

“The salty prosciutto gets crispy in the oven, the tomato flavor intensifies, the basil smells wonderfully fragrant and the egg yolk breaks as soon as you dig in. Need I say more?”

Not really. You had me at ‘prosciutto’, you had me at that. 😉

Anonymous

September 6, 2009 at 9:26 pm (15 years ago)

I found a mistake in your article. You wrote “scoop out the the seeds’
Hope that helps,
God Bless!