Napa Farmhouse 1885™: Egg Bruschetta with Pesto

This is the first week of Food Network's Comfort Food Feast series recipe roundup. Each week a group of selected bloggers will create recipes using the same topic. We will share all the posts on each of our blogs giving our readers a plethora of choices for creating warm, comforting, delicious dishes perfect for the cold winter months. Please check back each week to view the posts and feel free to share your own favorite recipes in the comments section.

The schedule is as follows:

January

9: Breakfast

16: Macaroni and Cheese

23: Casseroles

30: Sliders

February

6: Chicken

13: Comforting Valentine’s desserts

20: Melted cheese sandwiches

27: Cookies

March

6: Pizza

13: Potatoes

20: Most comforting peanut butter recipes

For "breakfast week" I decided to share one of my favorites...easy, simple, elegant enough for company, delicious. You can use best quality purchased pesto when basil is out of season or...do what I do...make huge batches of pesto in summer...freeze in small containers...and use throughout the year. Or make pesto with your favorite green...kale, spinach, parsley are all delicious substitutions.

Egg Bruschetta with Pesto
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 oz parmigiano-reggiano cheese, cut into 2 pieces
2 garlic cloves
1 fresh red cayenne pepper (or other fresh hot red pepper), seeded
5 cups basil leaves (packed)
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper
whole wheat sourdough baguette
6 fresh organic eggs
extra virgin olive oil for skillet and drizzling
12 baby spinach leaves chopped for garnish (optional)

Toast pine nuts in skillet until just beginning to brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Add cheese to food processor fitted with the chopping/mixing blade. Process until cheese is grated. Add cooled pine nuts, garlic and red pepper and process until all ingredients are finely grated. Add half of basil leaves, lemon juice and 1/4 cup olive oil and process until smooth but with a bit of texture. Add remaining basil, remaining olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Process until well mixed. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.

Slice bread into twelve 3/4 to 1 inch thick pieces. Toast in oven or toaster until golden brown. Slather pesto over bruschetta.

Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough olive oil to lightly cover pan. Crack eggs into skillet and turn heat down to medium-low. Cover pan and cook for 3 1/2-5 minutes or until whites are set and yolk is cooked to your preference. (I like mine runny so I cook for 3 1/2 minutes.)

Place 2 pieces bruschetta on each plate and top with 1 egg per serving. Serve immediately topping egg with sea salt, pepper & chopped spinach leaves.
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