Left whole and baked, these plump tomatoes encase a soft-cooked egg and romaine pesto. Their interesting presentation is sure to turn some heads.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 1/2 hr
Yield
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
6
1
1
1
1
1
3
1
6
6
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
Cook pancetta in 2 tablespoons oil in a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, 4 to 7 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, reserving fat in skillet.
Step 2
Strip romaine leaves from stems, reserving both separately, then tear leaves into roughly 2-inch pieces. Measure 4 loosely packed cups of leaves and reserve remainder. With motor running, add garlic to food processor to finely chop. Turn off and add the 4 cups romaine leaves along with the parsley, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cheese, then pulse until finely chopped. With motor running, add remaining cup oil in a slow stream, blending until incorporated.
Step 3
Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 400°F.
Step 4
Cut off about 1/8 inch from top of each tomato with a sharp knife. Gently scrape out pulp and seeds with a spoon and discard them. Put tomatoes, cut sides up, in a 9-inch glass or ceramic dish and spoon 1 tablespoon romaine-parsley pesto into each tomato (you will have extra pesto). Crack 1 egg into each tomato and season with salt and pepper. Bake eggs in tomatoes until whites are set and yolks are still runny, 18 to 22 minutes.
Step 5
While eggs bake, heat fat in skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook remaining torn romaine leaves and stems, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, turning and stirring with tongs, until leaves are wilted and stems are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in pancetta and divide mixture among 6 plates. Top each serving with a tomato and sprinkle with additional cheese.