Pepper-Ring Fried Eggs

A photo from a friend of mine inspired me to make fried eggs inside of bell pepper rings. These are very easy to make: All you need is one or more large bell pepper of any color, raw eggs, and a very lightly oiled large frying pan (use cooking spray or a very light smearing of oil, butter or bacon grease). Garnish or season the eggs with salt, pepper, fresh or dried herbs, or even minced garlic, onion, or other minced veggies. I think it would be fun to "decorate" the egg yolk by carefully placing two whole peppercorns on the yolk as "eyes" and then using a curved sliver of red pepper as a mouth to make a smile. You could also sprinkle lightly with a pinch of ground pepper or dried thyme to make "freckles" or "razor stubble." I simply seasoned the eggs with seasoned pepper, Kosher salt and thyme, but go ahead and get as creative as you'd like.

To make pepper-ring fried eggs, use a sharp knife to cut the top off the bell pepper by slicing just below where the pepper walls begin to curve in at the top. Then slice rings approximately 1/4" to 1/2" thick, down the length of the pepper until it starts to get too narrow to hold an egg. You'll need 1 ring per egg. Try to slice the pepper so that cut edges are even and flat, so that the rings will lie flat on the frying pan and the eggs won't "leak" out via gaps.

Place the rings in a single layer in the oiled frying pan and heat over medium-high heat for a few minutes so that they'll finish cooking at the same time as the eggs when you add them. While the pepper rings cook, carefully break each egg into a separate cup or small bowl. When you're ready, gently slide each egg into a pepper ring--make sure the pan is very hot before you add the eggs into the rings so as to minimize any "leakage" if there are any gaps between the bottom of a ring and the pan. You want the pan hot enough for the egg to start setting almost immediately, and you can then lower the heat to cook without burning. If any egg white does leak out of a ring, don't panic because you'll be able to trim it after plating. After you add the eggs, season or decorate as desired, cover and reduce heat to medium or medium-low. Covering the pan will help the eggs cook safely while also "steaming" the peppers so that they're tender but firm when served.

Once the eggs are cooked to your desired level of doneness, uncover the pan and either carefully slide the egg-filled rings onto a plate or use a spatula to lift them gently from the pan and onto the plate. If any egg white leaked outside the rings while cooking, run the tip of a butter knife along the outside edge of the ring to trim the leaked white.

If you make this recipe, please leave a comment to let us know how it turned out!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS: If you like to spice up your morning eggs, check out our selection of hot sauces ranging from mild to wild. And for Louisiana-style fried eggs, simply season with a sprinkling of Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning.