Eggs in Purgatory- Revamp Your Same-Ol’ Breakfast

I love eggs in purgatory.  It’s one of my favorite, most comforting breakfasts to make.  I mean, what’s not to love?  Eggs poached in a warm tomato bath?  It’s as soothing as eating a bowl of spaghetti for breakfast… except without the spaghetti.  Don’t worry, you still get to scholp up the extra sauce with a big hunk of bread.

Here’s how you do it:

Sautee some diced onion in a deep saute pan over medium heat until translucent.  Throw in some sliced garlic cloves and let them get fragrant.  Just as the smallest slices of garlic start to get a touch brown, add some water to stop the cooking.  Now add a can of pureed tomatoes.  I like the Pomi brand.  Season with S/P and let it simmer 10 or 15 minutes to let the acidity mellow out a little.  Add more water during simmering if you need to.

Now, here’s where your deep pan comes into play.  You’re going to crack an egg or 2 per person into the tomato sauce.  You want the eggs to be ALMOST but not completely submerged in sauce.  This way, you can see the egg and more easily determine when it’s cooked.  If your pan is too shallow, your egg won’t be cooking in the sauce.  If it’s too deep, it’s harder to tell when it’s done.  Anyway, turn your heat down to low and cover the pan with a lid.  Let these babies lightly simmer for about 3 minutes.  You can gently touch the egg to feel for its doneness.  The white should be firm and the yolk totally loose.

Gently transfer your poached eggs and sauce into bowls and sprinkle with herbs (depends on how I’m feeling and what’s in the fridge but I usually go with fresh parsley and/or basil… you know, keeping it light and classic).  If you’re feelin’ crazy you can add other goodies here, too, like cheese or capers or arugula.  (You could alway throw some other ingredients into the sauce while it’s cooking, too.  Maybe roasted red peppers, sausage or salami, or ricotta cheese.)

So that’s that.  Toast up some good bread and slather it with some butter (oh yeah… buttered bread in tomato sauce is excellent!).  A super simple little revamp to your usual eggs.  Let me know how they turn out!

 

Buon Appetito!