Recipe: Parma Ham Huevos Rancheros

Today I’m cooking with one of my favourite products. Parma Ham or Prosciutto di Parma is produced in the hills surrounding the town of Parma in the Emilia Romagna region of Northern Italy. Every stage of the production process has to happen here – even the pre-sliced packs of Parma Ham you’ll find in UK supermarkets have been sliced there. How amazing is that!

Parma Ham is made using only four ingredients. Italian pork, air, salt and time. Although I guess you could say a lot of love goes into it too. It is aged for a minimum of one year, having been salted and is then dried in well-ventilated rooms for there months before being hung in cellar-like rooms to complete the curing. How’s this for a sight to behold! Parma Ham as far as the eye can see.

And here’s a close up on those gorgeous legs.

Huevos Rancheros with Parma Ham

This classic dish with the addition of avocado and topped with Parma Ham is truly fabulous.

The ingredients

Serves 4 

For the tomato sauce 

2 tbsp olive oil 

1 medium red onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

A bay leaf

1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced into strips 

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

2 x 400g tins of cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika  

For the eggs 

60g baby spinach 

4 free range eggs 

25g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

120g Parma Ham 

For the chilli avocado

1 avocado 

A lime 

½ red chili 

1 bunch of coriander 

The process

Heat the oil in a deep sided 30cm frying pan. Add the onions, garlic peppers, and chili. Cook over a medium heat for about 8-10 minutes until softened. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and allow to simmer for 10-12 minutes until reduced and the sauce has thickened.

For the chili and lime avocado, halve and stone the avocado, scoop out the flesh and roughly chop. Place in a bowl and stir in all the remaining ingredients, season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Stir the spinach in with the reduced tomato sauce and cook for a few minutes until just wilted. Use a spatula to make four wells in the tomato sauce mixture and carefully crack an egg into each well.

Place a lid on the pan and allow to cook for 4-5 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks remain runny.

Remove the lid and arrange the folds of Parma Ham around each egg. Sprinkle the Parmigiano Reggiano and coriander. Dot with the chili lime avocado and serve immediately. 

 

To find out more about this delicious special product and for more recipe ideas visit www.prosciuttodiparma.com