Huevos Al Plato

When I was a kid I loved to make my mom breakfast in bed on weekends. I would sit with her while she ate it.
I was inspired after reading Calvin & Hobbes comic strip, in which Calvin considers doing it for his mom. I thought, perhaps, I should do the same.
Breakfast in bed is one of the ultimate ways to pamper someone, and you don't need to be a master chef to make something delicious meal.
Dudes, if you don’t know this yet, girls love breakfast in bed.
Like they REALLY love it.

Have you ever watched a chick flick?
It usually goes like this:
Guy serves breakfast in bed to woman.
Woman falls in love with the guy.
The women in the audience think it's SO romantic and start crying.
But then again chances are the dude in the film is super attractive and the women in the audience would fall in love with him even sans breakfast in bed. Yeah, I know, bad example. But still take my word for it, girls love breakfast in bed.
We (as in dudes) like it too, but not that much.
It’s not something we crave, like the beginning of football season, tapping a beer keg or firing the BBQ.
It's more of a girls' thing.

However, before you start making breakfast for your loved one, you must know one important piece of information: sweet or savory?
This is such a morning decision for me.
Usually a good savory breakfast really hits the spot, it also keeps me full longer.
But we’re all different, so be sure to know what she (or he) likes before firing up the stove.
If savory is the answer: can I suggest you make huevos al plato?

Huevos al plato is one of my latest discoveries and I can’t seem to get enough of it.
It’s a classic Spanish breakfast (or lunchtime) dish made with yummy tomato sauce, crispy chorizo and eggs.
Traditionally it’s cooked in a cazuela, a sort of indestructible glazed terra cotta bowl. Those things that happily troop from the burner, into the oven and into the dishwasher afterwards. Much like a cast-iron skillet, but for a fraction of the weight.
Just for the sake of truth, I should point out that the cast-iron skillet is a much better home protection device than a cazuela. Clobbering an intruder with it should actually cause quite a bit of damage — I’m thinking at least a concussion?
The noble frying pan is indeed a honest melee weapon. Not sure whether the cazuela is that effective if yielded as weaponry.
And no, I’m not actually suggesting you hit somebody over the head with a slab of iron. I’m just really making an observation here.
Back to huevos al plato.
You probably won't find this dish in Bon Appetit Magazine or as the main course of a Michelin-starred chef.
But I love it because it’s easy and packs a wallop of flavor. Ridiculously so.
There’s tasty tomato sauce, crunchy chorizo, baked eggs and a bit of kick from the chili powder.
Delish.
Munching on huevos al plato is a powerful way to kick-start your day!

Huevos Al Plato                                                                                                   Print this recipe!

Ingredients
Serves 4

4 pastured eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 can (15 oz / 425 gr) tomato sauce (I used Muir Glen)
1 bay leaf
¼ cup (about 2 oz / 60 gr) Spanish chorizo, sliced
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon chili powder (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven at 350°F (180°C) and place a rack in the middle.
Fry chorizo slices in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Return skillet to the burner and heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add garlic and onion and saute’ until translucent, about 8 minutes.
Add tomato sauce, bay leaf, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf and season with salt and pepper.
Add fried chorizo and cook for further 5 minutes.
Spread tomato sauce in a baking dish (or a cazuela if you own one) making 4 craters for the eggs.
If you want, you can use the same skillet you used for the sauce, make room for the eggs with the back of a spoon.
Crack the eggs carefully on top of the tomato sauce.
Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until eggs are firm (if you like your eggs runny, bake for less time, 10 minutes should do.)
Serve warm!

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 238 calories, 13 grams of fat, 18 grams of carbs and 13 grams of protein.