Basque Eggs in Piperade

Slice all the peppers and the onion into thin strips, finely slice the garlic, and roughly chop the tomatoes. Measure out the Espelette pepper, paprika and sugar.

Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy-based pan or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onion with a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until completely soft and beginning to colour, about 15 minutes.

Add the sliced red and green peppers and the garlic. Stir well, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are completely tender and starting to caramelise at the edges, about 20 minutes.

Stir in the chopped tomatoes, Espelette pepper, smoked paprika and sugar. Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes have broken down completely and the mixture is thick, jammy and no longer watery, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper; the piperade should taste sweet, smoky and bold.

Reduce the heat to low. Use the back of a spoon to make 8 shallow wells evenly spaced across the piperade. Crack one egg into a small cup, then slide it carefully into a well. Repeat with the remaining 7 eggs.

Cover the pan with a lid or foil and cook over low heat until the whites are just set but the yolks remain runny, about 6–8 minutes — check at 6 minutes; the whites should be fully opaque with no translucent patches. Because the yolks stay soft, use pasteurised eggs if serving anyone pregnant, elderly, very young or immunocompromised — a soft yolk is not cooked through.

Remove from the heat immediately. Scatter with chopped flat-leaf parsley, a pinch of flaky salt and a dusting of Espelette pepper. Bring the pan to the table and serve at once with crusty bread.