Greetings 24/680 followers!
Chef Charlie is back from his travels and ready to bring more fall repertoire to your tables!
It’s Autumn in Piemonte. Nothing is more enticing than a visit to the north of Italy in the fall! Grape harvests, truffle hunting, warm evenings turning to night and great food made with extraordinary products!
Epicurean Exchange Culinary Travel is returning to Piemonte and the village of Alba in 2021. Planning for the next tour, I came across this recipe that we prepared for breakfast on a regular basis during our stay. This breakfast uses the best of the late-summer vegetables – squashes and tomatoes; is easy to prepare and serves an entire family from the same dish!
Serve with fresh breads, seasonal fruits, melon, juices and a cappuccino or espresso for the perfect morning spread!
Buon Appetito! – Chef Charlie
Italian Baked Eggs with Goat Cheese and Tomatoes
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, cut into a 1/2-inch dice
2 small zucchini, cut into a 1/2-inch dice
1 small red bell pepper, cut into a 1/2-inch dice
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, coasrely chopped
12 eggs, beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
• Preheat oven to 375˚F and place a rack in the center of the oven. Grease a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish liberally with olive oil.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, zucchini and bell pepper, and sauté, stirring frequently, until softened, about 6 – 8 minutes. Add the parsley and season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Combine the cooled, cooked vegetables with the beaten eggs and transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Dot the top of the eggs with goat cheese and top with the sliced tomatoes. Season lightly with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Place the dish is the preheated oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until the eggs are set (simply shake the dish and see the eggs are set), and the edges are lightly browned.
• Serve warm.
Serves 6 to 8
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Okay… first, it’s great having Chef Charlie back in town, he brings so much to our pages and, by extension, to our readers. Second, we know you’re tired of hearing OUR stories and we’re cutting them waaaay back BUT this recipe was an old family favorite with our nonna materna doing the cooking in the piece of Italy she and grandpa carved out of Marin County and many of our best childhood memories are derived from her morning journey out to her garden and chicken coop, assembling components in the folds of her apron. Her kitchen skills were the stuff of legend in our family and led to the miraculous creation of this glorious dish and many others. We can still smell it, as well as the freshly chopped herbs on her cutting board. We had just reached out to the Italian aunties for the recipe when Chef Charlie beat them to it… we’ll be trying to recreate the magic in our own kitchen, soon!
Looks really good. And healthy.
Hungry now. No fair. This looks really good!!!
Sounds perfect for breakfast at the cabin with everyone around. My problem is do I tell everyone I got the recipe from Chef Charly or is it something I whipped up on my own? Nice recipe!
Stealing it. Looks like fun to make to.
Made this last week, or a close variation for visiting couples from Carmelite Junior Seminary, Hamilton MA, was a huge hit with everyone, and so easy/pretty. Added some half and half to lighten the eggs, used sliced Roma tomatoes to float on the top because they hold up so well when cooked. I think I forgot the cheese! Used a large cast iron frying pan, started out with some bottom heat on the cooktop, then put in preheated oven to finish.
Ana Luisa was keen to take recipe home to Mexico and serve when the tribe gathers at Ajijic overlooking Lake Chapala at Christmas, but plans to add cooked chorizo, of course! Thanks so much for sharing; love these breakfast tricks where the cook isn’t doing short order standing at the stove. Lefties reheated nicely in the micro the next day, too.
Ah! Another Foodie – Range Rover – using the old half and half trick. We do that, too. Thanks for the post, Candy – the chef will be pleased, we know.
Thanks for the feedback, Candy! Really appreciated! Sounds like an all-around great choice for you AND your guests! Love hearing about the personal variations too!
I try to balance the elegant with do-able and will continue to bring more ideas to the news24/680 pages!
– Chef Charlie