Eggs in purgatory
Eggs poached in a garlicky, chile-flecked tomato sauce with parmesan and crusty toast, an Italian dinner you can make with five things from the pantry.
- 25 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $2.84 a serving
- 740 calories
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, torn (optional)
- ½ French bread, sliced
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
Each serving has about 740 calories, 31 g protein, 77 g carbs and 34 g fat, and costs about $2.84 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
- No French bread? Sourdough bread works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the garlic.
Thinly slice. Thinly slicing means cutting slices about an eighth of an inch thick, roughly two coins stacked. Thin slices cook in seconds and soften fast, which quick dishes need.
How you’ll know: A slice bends a little when you hold it by one edge, and slow, steady cuts beat fast ones.
Put the oil, garlic and red pepper flakes in a 10-inch that has a lid and set it over low heat. Cook until the garlic is pale gold, 2 to 3 minutes.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Low heatTimer: 2 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Starting in cold oil keeps the garlic from burning. Pale gold tastes sweet; dark brown tastes bitter.Pour in the marinara, turn the heat up to medium and 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until slightly .
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Make 4 wells in the sauce with a spoon and crack an egg into each. Season the eggs with the salt and pepper.
Dolly’s tip: Crack each egg into a small cup first, then slide it in, so a stray bit of shell is easy to fish out.to low, cover and cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to , 6 to 8 minutes.
Reduce the heat. It means turning the burner down, usually to medium-low or low, so food cooks gently instead of hard. Electric burners cool slowly, so lift the pan off for a moment if it’s bubbling hard.
How you’ll know: Within a minute the bubbling calms to a gentle simmer, or the sizzle turns quiet.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Low heatTimer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: Peek at 6 minutes. Done whites are solid white right up to the yolk, with no clear patches.Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
While the eggs cook, toast the bread.
Scatter the parmesan and basil over the eggs and serve from the pan with the toast for dipping.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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