I've been wanting to give this recipe a try for over three years now. I've kept it in the back of my mind, but I just never quite got around to actually making it. Until today.

This was really, really good. I enjoyed the spicy, garlicky sauce. And it was nice to have something a little different (and more interesting) than plain eggs on toast. I have a tendency to get into breakfast ruts, so this was a nice way to mix things up a bit.

Eggs in Purgatory

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2016

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4-6 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/4 c. grated onion
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 1/4 tsp. red chile flakes
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 c. fresh basil leaves
• 1 (828mL) can crushed tomatoes¹
• 8 large eggs²
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium heat. (Be sure to use an oven-safe pan or pot³ as the whole thing will be going in the oven at the end.)
2. Add garlic and cook for ~2 minutes.
3. Add onion, tomato paste, chile flakes, salt, and oregano and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 4 minutes or so.
4. Add basil leaves and cook until wilted (~30 seconds).
5. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
6. Add crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~15 minutes.
8. Remove from heat an allow to cool for 2-3 minutes.
9. Crack an egg into a small bowl.
10. Make a 5cm (2") diameter well in the sauce all the way down to the bottom of the pan. Use the spatula to hold the well open and pour the egg into the well.
11. Repeat with remaining eggs.
12. Season each egg with a little salt and pepper.
13. Cover and cook over medium heat for ~3 minutes.
14. Uncover and transfer to oven. Bake for 4-6 minutes. (4 Minutes for runny yolks, 6 minutes for set but soft.)
15. Sprinkle with Parmesan and chopped basil.
16. Serve with toast.

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¹ I didn't have any crushed tomatoes handy, so I just took a potato masher to a can of whole tomatoes. I'm happy with how it came out. ^Back
2 Since it was just TF and I, I only ended up doing 4 eggs. The leftover sauce can be reheated and used to cook more eggs the next morning or saved and used as pizza sauce. TF actually ended up spreading some of it on toast and melting cheese on top for a quick lunch. ^Back
3 Cast iron would typically be my go-to oven-safe cooking vessel. That said, I don't recommend cast iron here as the acidity of the tomatoes can both damage the seasoning on the pan and cause excessive amounts of iron to leach into the sauce. Something like enameled cast iron or steel-clad aluminum probably works better here. ^Back