I’m tired. I started the day with a hangover, remedied temporarily by a bacon butty and coffee at 8:15am. At 11:30 when the caffeine buzz was wearing thin, I went in search of a Coke Zero. I ended up eating my lunch at the same time, so I had already consumed a large tub of spaghetti carbonara by the time the clock struck 12. The afternoon wore on and by 5 to 5 I was packed and ready to go. 

 

I had to do the grocery shopping tonight, having bypassed it last night in favour of beer. Had everything gone to plan, I should have been in and out of the supermarket by 6pm, but my bus route was diverted and I ended up having to walk there. As a result, I did I not arrive at the supermarket until 6pm and by this time I was very hungry again. I know it's dangerous to shop on an empty stomach, so I headed straight to the deli counter for a sausage roll, which was suitably disgusting and did the job.

 

By the time I got home, I was in no mood for cooking, or eating for that matter (the 24% pork meat was congealing in my stomach with the 76% of God knows what else was in the sausage roll). But the boyfriend was hungry and he had picked me up from Sainsbury’s, so I felt I ought to make something.

 

My friend Ray put me onto this recipe. In her words:

It really is that simple, so quick and easy it barely warrants a recipe; in fact, the above quote is what Ray sent me when I asked her for one. 

 

Traditionally, the recipe is a way to use up left over tomato sauce or eggs that are on their way out. It is common throughout Southern Italy, sometimes being referred to as Sicilian or Neopolitan eggs. As far as I can tell, the traditional recipe is always eggs poached in a simple tomato sauce flavoured with a herb such as thyme, parsley or basil and some chilli flakes. However, the throw together nature of the dish means there are many modern variations. Peter Bocchieri had had a similar day to me when he blogged about his version, where he adds breadcrumbs and Romano cheese. Other more adventurous recipes include one which replaced the tomato sauce with potatoes and artichoke hearts, a Tex-Mex version, and one where Puttanesca sauce replaces the tomato sauce.

 

As some of you may remember, I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to Italian food, so I stuck with a basic tomato sauce recipe, added 3 eggs (two for the boyfriend, one for me), a sprinkling of basil and parmesan cheese. I served the dish with a simple salad of red pepper, mixed leaves and red onion dressed in balsamic vinegar and olive oil and some bread to dip in the yolks and mop up the sauce.

1 tbsp olive oil

½ brown onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 x 400g tinned tomatoes or 500g fresh, overripe tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and chopped

½ tsp oregano

1 tsp muscovado (dark brown) sugar

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Small handful basil, roughly chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 eggs

A few pinches of parmesan cheese, grated

 

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a low heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic, stir and cook until they are soft and pale yellow in colour. Turn the heat up slightly and add the tomatoes, oregano, brown sugar, balsamic, half of the basil, salt and pepper. Leave to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

 

Crack one egg into a bowl or jug, make a well in the sauce and pour it in. Repeat this for all four eggs, season with a little more salt and pepper and cover the pan to help the eggs to cook evenly.

 

When the eggs are ready, sprinkle with parmesan and the remaining basil and serve immediately.

 

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