Rookie Pan
← All recipes
Italy, Europe · Pasta al Pesto Genovese

Pesto Eggs on Lemon-Ricotta Toast

Eggs fried in sizzling basil pesto until the edges crisp and the yolks stay runny, piled on sourdough spread with lemon ricotta: a brunch-café favorite.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time20 min
DifficultyEasy

Method

  1. Wash the basil and dry it completely. In a blender, pulse the garlic, pine nuts and salt a few times, then add the basil, olive oil, Parmigiano and a few drops of lemon juice and blend in short 2–3 second bursts until smooth. You'll need 1 tbsp of pesto per egg; the rest is for drizzling.

    Add in this stepGarlic cloves ½Pine nuts 12 gSalt ½ pinchFresh basil leaves 25 gExtra-virgin olive oil 45 mlParmigiano Reggiano, finely grated 15 gLemon (zest and juice) ⅛

  2. Finely grate just the yellow zest of the lemon into the ricotta, add a pinch of salt and some pepper, and stir until smooth. Halve the cherry tomatoes.

    Add in this stepLemon (zest and juice) 0.4Ricotta 100 gSalt ½ pinchBlack pepper to taste

  3. Heat a dry frying pan over medium heat and toast the bread for per side until golden, working in 2 batch(es) of 2–3 slices (a toaster works too). Crisp outside and soft inside means the ricotta won't make it soggy.

    Add in this stepSourdough slices (1.5 cm thick) 4

    medium heat

  4. Spread the lemon ricotta thickly on the toast and set the slices on plates.

  5. In a 26 cm frying pan (× 2 means two batches), spoon 1 tbsp of pesto per egg into small circles, then put the pan over medium heat. When the pesto sizzles and the oil starts to bubble out, crack an egg into the middle of each circle. Cover and cook for , until the whites are fully set, the pesto underneath is crisp and the yolks still wobble.

    Add in this stepEggs 4

    medium heat

  6. Slide each egg onto a ricotta toast with a spatula. Add the cherry tomatoes, drizzle with a little of the remaining pesto, finish with red pepper flakes and black pepper, and serve right away.

    Add in this stepCherry tomatoes 8Red pepper flakes 1 pinchBlack pepper to taste

Cook's tip

The oil in the pesto is all you need to fry the eggs, so don't add more. Stick to medium heat: if it's too hot the basil burns and turns bitter. Keep leftover pesto in a jar topped with olive oil in the fridge and use it within 3 days.

Cooking it at camp

Make the pesto and lemon ricotta at home and pack them in sealed containers. At the campsite, one burner and one pan are enough to toast the bread and fry the pesto eggs. Bring a pan with a lid so the whites cook evenly even in the wind.