Eggs with Tomato on Toast

Everyone is always on the look out for a weeknight meal. Sometimes I feel like telling people to relax and just eat a bowl of cereal like I do. But then I remember that a lot of people have kids and dogs and Franklins, and bowls of cereal just won’t do. Rather than being concerned about a weeknight meal, I’m always more concerned about an easy weekend morning breakfast. When I wake up a little late and maybe recovering from the night before, going to the store to get fresh ingredients and slaving over the stove doesn’t sound too appealing. Lucky for you, my weekend breakfast can also be your weeknight meal. This, like the Croque Madame I made a few weeks ago, is a unisex type meal–it can be breakfast, lunch or dinner. And with only 3 main ingredients, (bread, eggs and a can of plum tomatoes) it’s the easiest thing in the world to make. You can do it hungover, super sleepy, or super stressed. All is well!

Since this recipe only calls for 3 main ingredients, I recommend using the best quality you can find. I love San Marzano canned tomatoes. While they’re more expensive (around $4 for a 24 oz. can), they’re totally worth it. (You can find them at any Italian specialty supermarket, or even Whole Foods.)  And since they don’t have any basil, pepper, salt, etc. in them, I upped the recommended amount for spices from the original recipe. If you’re using whole canned tomatoes with spices in it, then I’d recommend tweaking the spices to taste.

Update: Joy the Baker actually highlighted San Marzano tomatoes too a little while back. I’m including a link as to where you can buy them online. Yes, they’re that serious. Please. Buy. Them.

Eggs with Tomato on Toast

Recipe tweaked from Salt to Taste

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Serves 4 (That’s what the book says, but I beg to differ. A friend and I ate this by ourselves, no problem. More like serves 2.)

4-5 eggs

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic or 1 teaspoon, minced

1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano

1 24 ounce can of whole plum tomatoes, which had around 7-8 tomatoes (San Marzano highly recommended)

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil

4 slices country white bread–whatever you have, toasted

Separate the eggs, reserving two egg whites for another use.

In a cold medium skillet, combine the oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Turn on the heat and warm over medium heat until the garlic begins to become fragrant (without browning), about 2 minutes.

Raise the heat to high, then use your hands to crush each tomato into the pan. Note: I tried this and the tomato gushed juice all over my shirt. It wasn’t cute. I recommend piercing the middle of the tomato with your finger, slowly, as to release all of its juice AND then crush it. Season with salt and pepper. Fry the tomatoes, continuing to break them up with a fork. Cook until they concentrate and no longer look watery, 2 to 3 minutes (this actually took me 5-6 minutes).

Lower the heat to medium and stir in the egg whites. Cook until the whites become opaque and firm, thickening the tomato sauce, about 1 minute.

Turn off the heat, Using the back of a spoon, make 4 indentations in the sauce, allowing a few inches around each. Slip and egg yolk into each indentation. Draw the sauce in from the edges of the pan around each of the yolks. Cover the skillet and leave it on the stove, heat off, until the yolks are just warmed through and beginning to set, about 3 minutes for runny yolks.

Gently soon some sauce and a yolk onto each piece of toast and serve immediately. I find rubbing some olive oil on the spoons helps prevent breaking the yolk.