If you have already prepared homemade pesto, or the less delicious, store-bought bottled pesto in the fridge, Spicy Pesto Eggs on Toast, by Kshamaya Daniel, is a quickly-put-together but sumptuous breakfast or brunch.

Spicy Pesto Eggs on Toast

Serving: 1

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2-3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese or grated Amul cheddar cheese
• 2 thick slices bread/pav
• Butter for the toast, optional
• ½ tsp red chilly flakes
• ½ tsp butter for cooking the pesto
• A dash of salt
• A dash of freshly crushed black pepper, optional
• 3 tbsp pesto (see recipe below) or, if you must, use a bottled pesto
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh chives, optional

For the pesto

• 1½ cups basil leaves, packed tightly
• 1 cup parsley, without the stems
• 8 pods garlic
• ½ cup cashews or skinless pine nuts (more expensive; available online)
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup or slightly less extra virgin olive oil (must be EVO)

Method

For the pesto

• Mildly toast the cashews or pine nuts in a small heavy-bottomed frying pan, without oil, over low heat, stirring continuously.
  Roast carefully -- they can burn very quickly.
  When pinkish-red (not brown) dots appear and they give off a fragrance, take off heat.
• Empty onto a plate.
  Don't leave in the hot frying pan -- or they will continue to cook and can burn.
  Keep aside.
• In a mixer or blender, add the basil leaves and the stemless parsley.
  Add the garlic pods, toasted pine nuts or cashews, salt.
  Grind.
  Pour in, slowly, a stream of the olive oil and keep grinding till you have a thick paste.
  Adjust salt.

For the eggs

• Warm the ½ tsp butter in a heavy-bottomed small frying or saucepan over low heat.
  Spread the 3 tbsp of pesto evenly at the bottom of the frying pan.
  Carefully break both eggs over the pesto layer.
  Sprinkle the salt and some of the cheese over the eggs. Cover.
  Cook on low till the eggs are done.
  Toast both slices of bread till golden brown.
  Cut the cooked eggs into two portions and place one portion of egg on each slice of toast.
  Alternately have buttered toast on the side (please see the pic above).
  Sprinkle the chilly flakes, crushed black pepper, chives and a little more cheese.
  Serve with a few slices of tomato on the side.

Note: You require only 3 tbsp of the pesto for the egg recipe.
Store the rest in the fridge for 2-3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months, or more.
The pesto can also be had with warm cooked and buttered pasta with grated cheese and steamed vegetables like beans, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli.
Or in sandwiches along with slices of cheese and sliced cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, lettuce and/or pan-fried thin slices of eggplant.

• RECIPES