The main content
Spanish Eggs in Purgatory

Spanish Eggs in Purgatory

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp. olive oil

  • 1 large onion, chopped

  • 1 stalk celery, chopped, plus a handful of celery leaves, finely chopped, for serving

  • 4 cloves garlic, sliced or chopped

  • Salt and pepper

  • 1 tbsp. smoked paprika

  • 6 piquillo peppers in water, drained and thinly sliced

  • 1 lb. hot Spanish chorizo or Portuguese chouriço (I like Gaspar’s), casings removed and meat cut into bite-size pieces

  • 1 tbsp. sherry vinegar or a splash of dry sherry

  • 1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce or 2 cups passata

  • 1 tsp. Tabasco or other hot sauce

  • 4 large eggs

  • A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, for serving

  • Crusty bread, for mopping

Directions

  • Step 1

    Heat a medium-large cast-iron skillet or other ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Preheat the oven to 375°. Add the oil to the skillet, two turns of the pan. Add the onion, chopped celery, and garlic; season with salt, pepper, and the paprika. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers and chorizo. Cook until the fat renders, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sherry vinegar to the pan. Stir in the tomato sauce and Tabasco. Make 4 wells in the chunky sauce. Crack 1 egg into a ramekin, then drop into a well in the sauce. Repeat with the remaining 3 eggs.

  • Step 2

    Transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake until the eggs are soft to medium poached, 12 to 15 minutes.

  • Step 3

    Top with the chopped parsley and celery leaves. Serve from the skillet into shallow bowls. Pass crusty bread alongside.