This afternoon I hit the McCarren Greenmarket with one thing on my mind: vegetable ragu with a baked egg and crusty bread. I had seen Chef Eric Ripert prepare something similar on a cooking show recently and it seemed like a perfect brunch dish. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find the vegetables I had in mind at the Greenmarket (does anyone else feel like the market is lacking in a variety of produce?), but I did pick up a fresh loaf of black olive semolina bread. I had to run to Millennium for the rest.  This dish is so easy to make for the amount of flavor it has…straight forward ingredients and no special tricks. Best enjoyed while sitting on a sunny stoop in Greenpoint (I may be biased).


 
 Baked Egg Vegetable Ragu 1 yellow onion, chopped3 cloves garlic, chopped1 red bell pepper, chopped1 green zucchini, chopped3-4 vine ripe tomatoes, choppedFresh basil, choppedOlive oilSalt & pepper2 eggsFreshly grated parmesan cheese1 loaf of good bread Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pan on medium heat, saute onions in olive oil until tender, add garlic and continue to saute. Add red bell pepper, followed by zucchini and tomatoes. Season to taste and continue to saute for 5-10 mins until the vegetables are soft. Add chopped basil and stir. Remove from heat and distribute into two ceramic gratin dishes. Crack one egg onto each dish and bake until whites become firm (time will vary). Sprinkle with cheese and bake until melted.Slice bread, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake in aluminum foil until the inside is warm.  
Serve hot with warm bread.