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1
Make the Sofrito Base
10 Mins
Medium-low heat, about 160°C (320°F)
Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat until it shimmers. Add the onion, green pepper and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 8 to 10 minutes until completely tender and sweet. Do not let the garlic brown — browned garlic turns bitter and the whole sauce follows it.
Low heat is the point: the vegetables should soften and sweeten, not fry.
Done when: Vegetables soft, translucent and sweet; garlic pale gold, not brown.
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2
Build and Thicken the Sauce
18 Mins
Simmer at 85–95°C (185–203°F)
Stir in the drained tomatoes, the pimientos and the dry sherry. Cook, stirring now and then, for about 15 minutes until the sauce is thick enough to hold a spoon upright — it should look like a chunky relish, not a soup. Season with the salt, black pepper and chilli flakes, then taste: it should be savoury, a little sweet and just warm with heat.
If the sauce is still watery, cook it 3 minutes longer; a thin sauce makes the eggs slide and the dish soggy.
Done when: Thick, glossy sauce that mounds on the spoon; sherry smell cooked away.
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3
Fill the Dishes and Add the Eggs
5 Mins
Oven preheated to 175°C (350°F)
Set the four oiled ramekins on a baking tray and divide the hot sauce evenly among them. Make a small well in the centre of each with the back of a spoon. Slide two eggs into each dish from their bowls, keeping the yolks whole, and drizzle 1 tablespoon of melted butter over each one.
Cracking into a bowl first is what saves the yolks — one broken yolk and the dish loses its finish.
Done when: Two whole yolks sitting on the sauce in each dish; butter drizzled over.
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4
Bake Until the Whites Set
12 Mins
Bake at 175°C (350°F)
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the egg whites are fully set and opaque but the yolks are still soft and runny when pressed. The whites must be completely set all the way through — that is the food-safety line for eggs — while the yolk can stay soft. Do not bake longer: the yolks firm up fast after 12 minutes.
Ovens vary, so watch the last 2 minutes through the door rather than the clock.
Done when: Whites fully set and opaque; yolks soft and jiggly, not firm.
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5
Season and Serve from the Dish
5 Mins
Serve hot, about 70°C (158°F)
Take the tray out and let the dishes rest for 2 minutes so the sauce settles. Sprinkle each with salt, black pepper and chopped parsley, set each ramekin on a plate to protect the table, and serve immediately while the yolks are still runny.
Warn the table that the dishes are hot — ramekins hold their heat far longer than they look.
Done when: Eggs glistening, parsley bright, dishes too hot to touch bare-handed.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Let the dishes rest 2 minutes off the heat so the sauce settles, then carry each one to the table on a plate — the ramekin is the serving dish, and the bread is for chasing the sauce.
Cuba
3h
