Dinner Tonight: Eggs in Purgatory (Eggs Baked in Tomato Sauce)
Interpreting Catholic metaphors is not one of my specialties, and it's probably for the best. I'm not exactly sure what relationship tomato sauce has with temporal punishment and eternal purification. But I do know that this recipe, which combines the unlikely duo of marinara sauce and eggs on crusty toasted bread, is totally delicious.
The recipe I used came from the online newsletter Franny's, named after and produced by the Italian restaurant Franny's near my Brooklyn apartment. One evening, they cooked this for the restaurant staff's "family meal." The interesting twist here is the inclusion of Tabasco sauce, replacing the more traditional red pepper flakes, which gives the whole thing a subtle hot sauce vinegary flavor. I was lucky to have a little tomato sauce in the fridge already (Mario Batali's recipe, my favorite), but the instructions below offer a quick sauce for those who don't.
If you're not making this for dinner, this is a killer prepare-ahead brunch dish to throw in the oven when guests arrive. By baking it rather than simmering on the stove, it's easier to make for a crowd.
About the author: Blake Royer lives in Brooklyn and spends most of his free time cooking and writing about it here at Serious Eats and on The Paupered Chef. From 9 to 5 weekdays, he works as an assistant book editor in Manhattan.
Eggs in Purgatory (Eggs Baked in Tomato Sauce)
- serves 8 -
Adapted from Franny's online newsletter.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 small white or yellow onion, minced
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
(Alternatively, replace the above ingredients with a leftover tomato sauce)
2-4 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
8 eggs
8 slices thickly cut rustic Italian bread
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. In a large skillet or saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the garlic and onion until lightly brown, about ten minutes. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
2. Add the Tabasco, salt, and pepper to taste. Transfer the sauce to a baking dish that will fit all the eggs. Crack the eggs over the sauce, keeping the yolks intact; it's okay for the whites to overlap.
3. Bake uncovered for 12-15 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks are still a bit runny. In the last five minutes of cooking, put the bread in the oven to toast.
4. Serve the eggs with sauce on toast, and top with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.
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13 Comments:
Love this. One of my old bosses was just telling me about this dish--and she swears by it!
Allison Hemler at 5:02PM on 09/09/08
I had this for the first time the other week at Anima in Brooklyn. Yum...
bobbob at 5:43PM on 09/09/08
This is so delicious. It's also one of my favorite hangover remedies!
aungeinphx at 5:55PM on 09/09/08
What would you serve with this at a dinner party?
SkinnyFatty at 1:31AM on 09/10/08
I have a phobia about tomato sauce and eggs. Maybe its a love or hate thing. If anyone gets near my eggs with anything that resembles tomato sauce, I start freaking.
NO NO NO
JerzeeTomato at 2:10AM on 09/10/08
Love the ease & convenience of baked eggs for a brunch {or other event} crowd. I also like to pre-make a load of savory {thyme, oregano, whatever} crepes & pull from freezer, thaw, tuck into muffin pan & crack eggs into them & bake. So easy, looks "fancy", little cleaning & great plating. I have drizzled them with tomato sauce or herbed butter..in any event..great idea those baked eggs!
stigcr at 8:51AM on 09/10/08
My Mom use to make this for me with rotel.....good stuff
Markbb at 9:01AM on 09/10/08
It sounds like Shakshuka!!
Sarajahii at 9:34AM on 09/10/08
I've always heard of this as "Eggs in Hell."
baboo at 11:07AM on 09/10/08
I'm with Jerzee...I don't think Tomato sauce and eggs (esp. ones with runny yolk) should be mixed together. NO
I don't care for runny yolk, but don't think I could try this with a solid yolk.
Butrflygirly at 12:50PM on 09/10/08
That just looks like serious comfort food to me! I may have to make that this weekend for brunch. Thanks for sharing!
Fanciesmom at 11:34AM on 09/11/08
This dish pops up in conversation every now and then and the way a person feels about it usually has something to do with how he or she grew up.
Some people view EIP as punishment food because they simply did not like the combination of tomato sauce with eggs. They were likely forced to eat it as a child, much like I was broccoli and cauliflower.
I, OTOH, love it. EIP utilizes tomato sauce in a breakfast dish which is right up my alley. I have strong feelings about what types of tomato sauces make a good EIP (marinara, puttanesca) and which definitely do not (ragus, meaty sauces). I usually make it in a pan and then apply the lid to cook the egg white but leave the yolk runny. I absolutely love this dish with crusty bread. I think it makes the perfect breakfast or brunch dish.
Just think Italian Huevos Rancheros.
therealchiffonade at 3:12PM on 09/12/08
to SkinnyFatty-
no judgment here, but i dont think this is dinner party fare...it is way beyond delicious, but kind of messy in that you want to be able to sop up all the sauce and egg with more bread, not something you would want your guests to have to do. Again just a personal opinion.
eszarets at 9:44AM on 09/15/08