Basque Piperade Recipes

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saute pan and cook onion until softened and beginning to turn golden. Add peppers and cook 15 minutes, until tender. Add tomatoes, garlic, basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer until tomatoes are pulpy. Thoroughly beat eggs in a small bowl, add to tomato mixture, and stir until they begin to thicken; remove from heat before they solidify. Serve on heated plates, topped with fried ham slice or slices, and surrounded with croutons.;

Steps:

• Prepare the piperade by first heating the 4 tablespoons of fat of your choice in a heavy 8-inch frying pan or, better still, in a small oval copper or enamel pan that you can bring to the table. Add the chopped onions and garlic and cook them for about 5 minutes over moderate heat, stirring them frequently until they are soft but not brown. Stir in the pepper strips, turning them in the fat now and then, letting them cook for about 10 minutes, at which point they should be tender but still crisp. Drain the chopped tomatoes thoroughly and add them to the pan, sprinkling in at the same time the dried or fresh basil and the pepper flakes or hot pepper sauce. Raise the heat and cook the tomatoes briskly for a few minutes and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until all their moisture has evaporated. Be careful that the piperade doesn't burn. Put it aside until you are ready to reheat and serve it.
• At that point, combine 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and butter in an 8-inch heavy frying pan, and over moderate heat, cook the julienned ham for a few minutes until the strips are thoroughly heated through. Remove them at once with a slotted spoon and spread them out on paper toweling to drain.
• Meanwhile let the fat in the frying pan cool to lukewarm before pouring it into the eggs, lightly beaten with salt and pepper. Over low heat, stir the eggs with a rubber spatula until they begin to form soft, creamy curds. Remove them from the heat when they are not quite set and gently spread them over the reheated piperade. Let some of the colorful vegetables show through. Lightly scatter the ham on top, sprinkle with the chopped parsley and/or chopped chives, and serve at once.

Steps:

• Special equipment: 4 (1-cup) capacity ramekins
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil.
• Smear the bottom of each ramekin with the butter. For each serving, crack 2 eggs into a small bowl or dish, being careful not to break the yolks, then slide into a prepared ramekin. Season with the salt and pepper, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the cream, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan. Set the ramekins into a medium-sized glass or ceramic baking pan, allowing at least 1 inch of space between dishes. Transfer to the bottom rack of the oven and pour the boiling water into the baking dish, being careful not to splash any hot water into the ramekins. Cover with a sheet of aluminum foil and bake 8 to 12 minutes, until the whites are set but the yolks are still soft and a bit runny. Prepare the piperade while the eggs are baking.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the prosciutto in the olive oil until beginning to crisp, then add the onion. Saute until lightly golden, then add the red and green pepper and cook until the strips just begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant, then add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes, if using. Allow the mixture to stew over medium-low heat until liquid has evaporated and the tomatoes are heated through. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper. Off the heat, add the basil. Divide between the ramekins (you will have extra) and serve on a small plate, piping hot.
• This recipe was provided by a finalist, who may or may not be a professional cook, for The Next Food Network Star. Food Network has not tested this recipe and therefore, we cannot make representation as to the results.

Steps:

• Cut a small X into bottom of each tomato. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add tomatoes and cook until skin begins to wrinkle and peel at the edges of the cuts, about 30 seconds. Drain, rinse with cool water and peel off skin with your fingers. Roughly chop tomatoes and set aside.
• In a 12-inch skillet over medium high heat, heat oil until hot but not smoking. Add onions, peppers and salt and sauté, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent and peppers have started to lighten in spots, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and continue to sauté for 1 more minute.
• Stir in tomatoes, sugar and piment d'Espelette, reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until tomatoes are starting to fall apart and peppers are soft but still hold their shape, about 15 minutes. Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens like a slightly runny relish, about 5 minutes more. Adjust salt.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan and slowly cook the onion for 6-8 mins to soften.
• Meanwhile, peel the tomatoes: using a sharp knife, make a cross on the top and bottom of the tomatoes. Pour boiling water into a bowl, and carefully lower the tomatoes into the water. Prepare another bowl of very cold water. After about 30 secs, drain the tomatoes, then plunge them into the cold water. The skins should now slip off easily. Cut into quarters, deseed and roughly chop.
• Throw the peppers and garlic into the onion pan, give everything a good stir and cook, covered, over a low heat for 20 mins or so until the vegetables are really soft and sweet. Stir regularly so that they don't catch on the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes, a pinch of sugar and cook, uncovered, for 5 mins more. Season and stir in the vinegar and the basil. Allow to cool to room temperature, stir through the basil and taste to check the flavours again. You may want to add a dash more vinegar, or a pinch more sugar, depending on how sweet your vegetables are. Spoon onto the baguette slices and serve.

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based, non-stick saucepan. Add the onions and cook gently, stirring often, for 10 minutes.
• Add the chopped green peppers to the onion, mixing well. Cover the pan and cook gently, stirring now and then, for 10 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, garlic, bay and thyme. Season with sugar, Cayenne pepper, salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover the pan and cook gently, stirring now and then, for 25 minutes.
• Mix the beaten egg into the pepper mixture. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring often.
• Serve the piperade at once garnished with Bayonne ham.