Ratatouille Toasts with Fried Eggs

Ratatouille is an ideal make-ahead recipe. After all it tastes even better the day after it is cooked.  Combined with eggs on toast, it makes for a hearty brunch that could easily work as a light supper. Or,  a snack, if you must. If you don’t like the bread option, you can also heat it in a skillet until it is hot and then make wells in the vegetable mixture. Just break one egg into each and cover the pan with the lid until they are set (about 10 minutes).  So many possibilities…

Ratatouille Toasts with Fried Eggs (adapted from a recipe by Zoe Nathan found in Food and Wine Magazine)

Ingredients

• 150mL cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling (about 3/4 of a cup)
• 3 medium tomatoes, seeded and cut into 2cm  dice
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• One 350g  eggplant, seeds cut out and flesh cut into 2 cm dice (about 2 cups
• 2 small zucchini, cut into 2cm dice (2 cups)
• 2 large red onions, cut into 2cm  dice
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 2cm dice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup chopped basil, plus more for garnish
• Freshly ground black pepper
• eggs  to taste
• Six 2cm-thick slices of rustic bread, toasted

Method

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the tomatoes, 1 garlic clove and 1/4 teaspoon of the crushed red pepper and season with salt. Cook the tomatoes over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until just softened, (about 5 minutes). Scrape the tomatoes into a medium saucepan and discard the garlic clove. Wipe out the skillet. Repeat with the eggplant, zucchini, onions and red bell pepper, cooking each vegetable separately in 2 tablespoons of oil with 1 garlic clove, 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper and a generous pinch of salt until just tender and lightly browned, about 7 minutes per vegetable. Add the cooked vegetables to the tomatoes in the saucepan. Add the bay leaf, 1/3 cup of water to the saucepan with the vegetables. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Season the ratatouille with salt and pepper and let cool slightly. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over moderate heat. Crack how many eggs you want into the skillet and fry until the whites are firm and the yolks are runny, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a plate, season with salt and pepper and keep warm.  To serve, spoon the ratatouille onto the toasts and top with the eggs. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and black pepper and serve.