| 1 | Preparation: chop the onions. |
| 2 | Using the flat side of a large knife, crush garlic with a pinch of salt. |
| 3 | Core, seed, and chop tomatoes. |
| 4 | Remove stems, seeds, and ribs from red and green bell peppers and chop. |
| 5 | Stem, seed, and mince hot pepper. |
| 6 | The onions and garlic paste; saute until onions are wilted, about 5 minutes. |
| 7 | Add tomatoes, bell and hot peppers, the sugar, and black pepper to taste. |
| 8 | Stir. |
| 9 | Cook, covered, over medium heat until vegetables are very soft and mixture has thickened, about 25 minutes. |
| 10 | Uncover, increase heat, and reduce mixture for 1 to 2 minutes more. |
| 11 | Note: recipe can be made to this point several days ahead. |
| 12 | Note: recipe can be made to this point several hours ahead. |
| 13 | Cooking and serving: in a frying pan, cook ham over low heat in remaining 1 ?tablespoons olive oil until browned, about 5 minutes. |
| 14 | Remove ham with a slotted spoon and keep warm. |
| 15 | Reserve oil in pan. |
| 16 | Frying pan and pour in egg-vegetable mixture. |
| 17 | Simmer mixture, stirring, over low heat until eggs just begin to set. |
| 18 | Let eggs continue to cook undisturbed until set. |
| 19 | This basque-american specialty is earthy, simple, and highly flavored. |
