Catechism introduced me to Purgatory years ago, but I had not met uova in Purgatorio until last month through a recipe on thekitchn.com. This dish in limbo requires little time for preparation and combines some of my favorite ingredients—eggs, tomatoes, garlic and basil—which are designed to be spread upon and sopped up by a crusty hunk of bread.
The basic premise of the recipe is to cook eggs in a tomato sauce—some recipes call for baking the eggs. Others recipes (including mine) cook on the stove top. And though the flavor profiles are continents away, this dish is reminiscent of my favorite curried eggs, which also are cooked in a tomato base.
While my recipe sticks with tomato sauce basics, others call for olives, mushrooms, Parmesan, etc. Use what you love and have on hand for a simple, healthy, filling, vegetarian, cheap and guiltless meal.
Uova in Purgatorio
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 14-ounce can whole tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup thinly sliced basil
4 eggs
Instructions
In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil on medium. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook until garlic turns golden—2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes (and their juices) and the basil to the pan. Break up tomatoes with the back of your spoon. Bring mixture to a boil, and simmer until mixture thickens. You should be able to drag your spoon through the sauce and leave a momentary trough.
Make four indentions in the sauce, and crack an egg into each. Cover the pot, and cook until egg whites are firm but the yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes.
Divide eggs and sauce into 2 bowls, and serve with big hunks of crusty bread.
Serves 2
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I made it with extra red pepper, and added green peppers, mushrooms, onions…basically, made it latin. Very quick and tasty, great weeeknight meal!