Italian | Eggs in Hell

Posted on January 5, 2013

I decided to make any recipe with "Hell" in it's title. I just think it is funny. This is a Mario Batali recipe. I found a similar recipe in The New Portuguese Table cookbook. There it was simply called "Eggs Simmered in Tomato Sauce." I guess the Portuguese are less dramatic than the Italians. The recipes were very similar except that Mario's version included jalapeño peppers and chilli flakes (thus the hell), Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and basil. Both suggested to be served over crusty bread.

For the tomato sauce, I used the simplest pasta sauce from Mario Batali's line that can be found at your local grocery store. I select it because on The Chew, Mario often says that his product can be used whenever the recipe calls for "Mario's Basic Tomato Sauce." An alternative would be to make his tomato sauce recipe first, but that seemed to be too much to do for breakfast. I found Mario's brand to be a bit too sweet for my taste, next time I would look at using something from the Pomi line.

The only thing that I changed in the recipe was that I didn't use the basil. It was winter and my basil plants had already died. I didn't feel like spending 4 bucks at the store for basil, so I chopped up some parsley that I already had, and called it a day. The "Eggs in Hell" were tasty. I might make the Portuguese version next time, just to compare.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

4 jalapeño peppers, cut into 1/4-inch dice (optional)

1 teaspoon hot chili flakes (or to taste)

3 cups Mario's Basic Tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

8 large eggs

1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino, grated

salt

pepper

1/4 cup basil, shredded

 

Method

Place a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until just smoking.

Add the chopped onion, garlic, jalapeños, and chili flakes, and cook until softened and light brown, about 7 minutes.

Add the tomato sauce and water and bring to a boil. Immediately lower the heat to a simmer and carefully crack the eggs, one by one, into the tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until the whites set but the yolks are still quite runny, about 5-6 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle with cheese and some shredded basil. Allow to cool, about 3-4 minutes. Garnish with basil and serve.

 

(Ref. "Eggs in Hell" recipe, The Chew.)