Spanish Red Pepper Breakfast Casserole
There are very few things that are constant in life. Relationships come and go, friends have an ebb and flow, but there are a mere handful of things that stay the same every time. Some may call those things mundane and repetitive but I seem appreciate their existence so much. In college, some of my constants were: finding a friend sitting in the library at any give point of time, the spice levels at my favorite Pad Thai place, my dad calling me every weekend an hour too early and me picking up and telling him that I am awake anyway. These were little things that I were expectations, things that never changed and that gave me the space to acknowledge the variables in life.
Good food has been a constant in my life. I have always appreciated food unlike some other people I know that would eat just because they were hungry. I am picky but about the way things are cooked and not in the “I hate vegetables” kind of way. Heck, I end up eating things that I am allergic to just because they’re delicious. One constant that has transcended multiple life stages has been eggs. I know you were expecting something ontological or deep but like eggs have been in my life for while. They’re constant constants. In school, I loved fried eggs. Crispy whites with a well done yolk seasoned with salt and pepper. They were quick, nutritious, and usually my favorite meal of the day. In college, amidst the waffles, pancakes, and orange juice— all sugary treats that I cant eat everyday for breakfast, the humble veggie and cheese omelette saved me. Once classes and schedules got busier, egg muffins and black coffees filled my stomach and increased by waist size. Now the same protein are helping me on my mindful eating adventures.
As my culinary inquisitiveness increased so did the ways in which I used the humble egg. My favorite breakfasts now are my Hangover Eggs: panfried potatoes with caramelized onions, cumin, with sunny side up eggs, and fresh parsley. This weekend I tried a new egg recipe which involved my fear of baking (I am doing to much better with this fear). I made this red pepper roasted spicy puree with caramelized onions, soaked in wholewheat bread and slow baked until the puree cooks completely and then garnished with three oven fried eggs. It was amazing with whole garlic and roasted red poblano peppers. Each bite had a complex and diverse flavor based on what elements of the dish you ate and the eat was unique because unlike regular green chillies that hit the front of your mouth, this had a very latent expression which came after the sweetness of the red peppers and onions had already been introduced. I kind of loved that each bite ended spicy; it genuinely woke me up and invited me for a second bite. I loved making this unique recipe and I hope you give it a try!
Ingredients
4 red peppers, fire roasted until the skins are blackened and a fork go through the outer skin with ease
4 slices of wholewheat bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
salt
3 red chiles (such as Fresno or poblano)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 cup coconut milk
1 large onion, thinly sliced
8 cloves of whole garlic
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
Pepper to taste
Method
Step 1
In a skillet, add 1/4 cup olive oil, add the bread and cook until the bread turns into a golden brown croutons. Rest aside.
Step 2
Pulse red peppers, chiles, paprika, and ¼ cup oil in a food processor. Transfer pepper purée to a large bowl; stir in coconut milk and season with salt. Add croutons and toss until evenly coated.
Step 3
Add onion to skillet and cook, stirring, until soft, 7–10 minutes. Add salt to taste.
Step 4
Transfer crouton mixture to a 13x9" baking dish, pressing down on bread to submerge in sauce; scatter onion mixture over, and add garlic cloves. Cover with foil and chill at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
Step 5
Preheat oven to 450°. Bake casserole, uncovered, until top is golden brown, 35–45 minutes. Make 3 wells on surface of casserole with a large spoon and crack eggs into each well; season with salt. Bake again until whites are set but yolks are still runny, 10–12 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes, then top with mint.
