eggs in tomato sauce + contest winners
You know when you see someone cooking something on television and your stomach nearly lurches into a grumble and you know instantaneously what you will have for dinner that night? Isn’t it even better when it’s healthy?
That’s what happened when I was getting a lot of work done watching the Martha Show a couple weeks ago and one of her producers came on to show a quick little dinner she’d been making for her family that involved a quick tomato sauce with eggs cooked right in it. It reminded me of the baked egg dish I cannot resist ordering when we go out for brunch at a deliciously Art Deco place in our neighborhood, that I still couldn’t believe I hadn’t tried at home.
Especially when considering how ridiculously simple it is. You make a quick tomato sauce, you cook eggs in it and if you’re us, sautee a little fresh spinach with garlic on the side. Meanwhile, toast or broil some bread. You can rub it with a garlic clove or drizzle it with olive oil, but I didn’t bother because I was lazy. And in about five minutes, your breakfast/lunch/dinner is done.
It’s one of these dishes–like the huevos rancheros–that I feel silly giving you a recipe for because its so hodge-podge and easy, but just like those tortilla eggs before it, I have gotten hooked on this, making it for lunch nearly three times this week. So, I either tell you what’s really cooking in the smitten kitchen or we will end up radio silence.
***
Nevertheless, I know what you’re really here for: You want to know who won the shopping bags Delight.com is giving away to smittenkitchen readers this week. At the stroke of 9 a.m. EST today, I ran the total comment count (2,524! Hot damn!) through a random number generator…
Which used a randomness quotient that “comes from atmospheric noise, which for many purposes is better than the pseudo-random number algorithms typically used in computer programs”–seriously, I’m not making this up–to generate six integers…
And congratulations, commenters number 1790 (Jason), 954 (c3) and 2441 (Angie), you’ve won a set of large RuMe tote bags! Commenters numbers 1253 (Konna), 1284 (Kate) and 1028 (Jeff), you’ve won a set of small RuMe tote bags! I’ll be emailing you all right soon to get your mailing addresses, which I will then give to Delight.com so they can get your winnings in the mail.
Bummed you didn’t win? Through Sept. 22, you can use the code “SmittenDelight†at checkout to get 15 percent off all orders over $35.
One year ago: Grandmothers of Sils’ Apple and Yogurt Cake
Two years ago: Giardinera
Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce
Inspired by the Martha Show
1 can (14 ounces) tomato puree
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
Big pinch of sugar
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Glug of red wine (optional)
4 large eggs
4 slices toasted country bread, for serving
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add tomato sauce and bring to a boil; season with sugar, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 to 20 minutes minutes. A few minutes before it’s done, I like to add a glug of red wine and let it simmer for a moment.
Gently crack eggs into tomato mixture, cover, and let cook 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, uncover, and let stand 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer each egg to a piece of toast. Spoon over sauce, garnish with cheese, and season with salt and pepper; serve immediately.
congrats on the Martha Stewart Show!!! I just read that you will be on the show..as a regular reader, I was so excited to see your name on the list.
Those tomatoes look incredible! I’ve been struggling with using up the bushels I’m harvesting from my garden right now so all the tomato ideas you can unload are much appreciated.
The contest was very cool! More please! :) It’s a fun thrill to wonder if you’ll be picked.
Martha Stewart Show?!?!? When? I have to record it!
This will be on my table tonight! I’m curious as to how it will turn out using tomato puree as the base for the sauce, thanks for posting!
Holy crap, that looks fantastic!
I have just started having something very similar for breakfasts - I’ll saute about 1 cup of random greens (so far spinach has been my favorite), add one diced tomato from my mother’s garden, drain some of the liquid, and then crack an egg in it to poach. I’ve been seasoning it with 5 spice, salt, and pepper. I thought I was a genius when I discovered it, and I’m thrilled that it’s not actually as odd a thing as I thought.
Is the glug of wine for the sauce or just for us?
dinner…now!
UMmmm will give this a try for dinner - simple and healthy!
Yummmmmmm looks so good. I think that pancetta needs to find a way into that dish.
When are you goign to be on Martha? Must tivo!
Oh, just googled it - SEPTEMBER 17TH EVERYBODY!
Thanks everyone. I am not going to be on the show, or at least that was not the plan when I last spoke to the producers. I will, however, be there that day, which means that I need new shoes. And probably a new tube of lip gloss, if we’re being honest here. Priorities!
i made your ratatouille last night (SO delish by the way, i served it over crispy polenta with a dollop of goat cheese and it has already made it’s way onto the menu for next week when the bf is out of town and i don’t have to share!) and half exactly this amount of tomato puree left in my fridge and was wondering what to do with it.
I shall have to try this.
Your huevos rancheros have kept me up to my elbows in salsa verde since I made it for lunch one day. It has so far been the most requested dish I have done, followed quite closely by your take on Ina Gartens Panzanella.
Funnily enough every time I talk about something new I want to try people always respond with “Smitten Kitchen?” LOL You’re famous around this house.
this looks like a libyan dish called shakshuka…it’s served a lot in israel, and it’s long been a staple of mine…so yummy and quick! i’ve never tried it with the spinach though, which sounds lovely…
WOO HOO! Congrats Deb!
http://nymag.com/daily/food/2008/09/martha_stewart_plucks_foodies.html
Where has this dish been all my life?
Question: Are canned tomato sauce and tomato puree the same thing? The brands at the co-op where I shop only have tomato sauce and tomato paste, and I’ve never known what to use when a recipe calls for puree. Thanks!
tomatoes and eggs are wonderful together! this week for lunch i’ve been making myself a toasted english muffin with grilled tomato slices and over easy eggs. soooo delicious.
that was dee-lish. our tummies thank you, deb!
Tomatoes from a box? It boggles the mind.
I read about the appearance and can’t wait to see you on there. You said that you will be in the audience, right? Maybe you can make re-occurring appearances in the future… How awesome would that be? Then you could slyly take over her role :)
This reminds me of what my mother used to do with left over portuguese chicken (or beef) stew that had little to no chicken (or beef) left over. It was a great way to use the left over tomato sauce (which is always better a couple days later) and create an entirely new meal. Yum!
Speaking of eggs… ever since your tip on poaching an egg (never a forte of mine), I’ve been poaching like mad.
Cannot believe I won the bags! I am super excited! Thanks, Deb! The recipe, as always, looks delish. Will definitely be trying this one out!
My grandfather used to poach eggs in tomato sauce for us in the 1950s. We thought it was weird till we tasted them.
but… but… I just had brunch…
Deb,
You aren’t going to be on? Martha’s weekly lineup email and website say otherwise . . . What’s going on? Is this a big misunderstanding or what?
This looks great - I love when the simple recipes turn out to be some of the best!
Pffffttt. No inside help on this one? Damn. I wanted those bags. Sigh.
I’m making tortilla soup. You should come over. You’ll love it.
oMG….YUM… we are having this for breaky now…. thanx again for the inspiration
That’s a classic Middle Eastern dish called Shakshouka! Not a fan, but yours looks delish!
Also…soooo jealous of the winners. I never win anything. :(
So funny! I listened to this show on my way to work one day and this recipe sounded delicious! I’ll have to try it now.
So I was already planning on making eggs for dinner and when I saw your pictures, that was all it took to know THIS IS IT! Well, with a few changes (but isn’t that what your blog is all about, to inspire us?). I had a few elderly small white potatoes, so the toasted bread morphed to mashed potatoes with freshly snipped chives and goat cheese, oh, so yummy. I had about 2/3s of a jar of Trader Joe’s roasted garlic pasta sauce, so that combined with 5-6 chopped campari tomatoes and lots of seasonings became my sauce. The eggs on top was a real twist and so good. I even had plenty of spinach with garlic. Filling, tasty, comfort food, what could be better? Thank you!
This is the Wednesday Line-up on Martha:
Wednesday: The Blogging Show, Perez Hilton, top five tips for bloggers, mattbites.com’s Matt Armendariz, Smitten Kitchen’s Deb Perelman, Politico’s Ben Smith and Jonathan Martin, A Way to Garden’s Margaret Roach
That’s fabulous. I’ve never even thought of eggs cooked in tomato sauce - the boy child and husband will flip for this. Thank you!
ive been making this for a while now…and i actually like it placed over baked white rice. the rice is slighty crispy..but soft as well…and the sauce and egg/cheese/ham/corn mixed in makes it a perfect “italian” fried rice
Wow I make something like this for lunch all the time, it is addicting. I just sautee some cut up tomatoes, garlic and spinach and then cook an egg over easy to put over it, with grated romano (sometimes with toast). This looks even yummier, thanks for the idea!
This is something that we made and ate in Morocco all the time - an egg Tagine they called it. Very similar except you’d eat it directly out of the tagine bottom with bread. So good. I’d forgotten about it, actually
Kelly