italian eggs for dinner

i had an idea.

sometimes ideas are good, sometimes not so much. and this one, to be honest, i wasn't quite sure how it was going to pan out.

about once a week, i make breakfast for dinner. it almost always includes eggs and usually it's some form of breakfast burrito/taco or huevos rancheros. this time, i wanted to go italian. (and as jason points out, it's been night three of italian food here. i'm not complaining.)

i think the first time i had a poached egg was a year ago and i absolutely love them. so poached eggs are in. i didn't want pasta, but lots of vegetables. and the flavors of italy - at least italy in america. so i got to work building a sauce or base for the eggs.

tomatoes. cheese. onion. garlic. bread. basil. ah, almost forgot the basil. a couple eggs and it was perfect.



i started with a base of sauteed onions, garlic, and carrot (i almost always add some minced or grated carrot to pasta sauce now too. it adds a nice flavor - not like carrot at all - and it's a good way to add a little vegetable into a pasta dish). then added a can of diced tomatoes. i simmered the mixture until it started to thicken and the tomatoes broke down. stirred in some cubes of mozzarella i had left over from something else and some basil. then i cracked in the eggs. yep, directly into the simmering sauce. and it worked. it took a little longer than i expected (and mine were overcooked a little - i wanted the yolks to be runny). a little salt, pepper, and parmesan and it was perfect. especially with some italian bread to dunk in the sauce.



and if you think runny eggs sounds odd, it was really good. one of my eggs was completely cooked through, but the other was fairly runny. the best was a piece of egg with runny yolk and a scoop of the tomato mixture on a bite of bread. definitely a keeper. but next time i may poach the eggs separately and serve it on top of the tomato mixture.

italian eggs for dinner

1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, finely diced
28oz diced tomatoes
~1 teaspoon italian seasoning
~1/4 cup basil, finely sliced
however many eggs per person you'd like (i did two)
olive oil
grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper
italian bread for serving

1. melt the butter and a roughly equal amount of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium low heat. saute the onion, garlic, and carrot until the onion turns translucent, about 8-10 minutes.
2. add the diced tomatoes and italian seasoning and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to break down and the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.
3. mix in the basil. make a well with a spoon in the sauce and crack and egg directly into the sauce. repeat with the rest of the eggs. season tops of the eggs with salt & pepper. cover the pan and cook until eggs are to your liking (check by tapping the yolk with the spoon you're using to mix the sauce. if it's bouncy, the yolk is still runny. tap the whites to see if they're set too).
4. use a large spoon to scoop the eggs and sauce into a bowl. sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve with italian bread.