Egg-cellent weeknight supper dish
Happy-looking hens march across the pages of The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook by Lisa Steele (Harper Horizon, $34.99), a fifth-generation chicken farmer from Maine. Steele offers more than 100 recipes, plus tips ranging from how to know if an egg is fresh and best cooking techniques to how to salt-cure and pickle eggs. Check other recipes on her blog fresheggsdaily.com.
This easy supper dish can be adapted for this time of year when tomatoes are expensive and often lack flavour. Instead of the sauce recipe below, you can use 2 cups (500 ml) of store-bought marinara sauce and liven it up by stirring in six chopped fresh basil leaves.
BAKED EGGS MARINARA Serves: 4
Sauce:
■ 7 or 8 medium ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
■1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
■ 2 garlic cloves, minced
■ 5 to 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
■ 1 tsp (5 ml) kosher or coarse salt
■ Freshly ground pepper
Eggs:
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced
2 to 3 fresh thyme sprigs, or 1 tsp (5 ml) dried thyme leaves
Kosher or coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
4 eggs
1/2 cup (125 ml) grated Parmesan cheese
For sauce:
1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook together the tomatoes, onion and garlic until softened, 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Raise heat until mixture boils, then immediately reduce heat to low and simmer the sauce for another 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens.
2. Remove pan from heat and stir in basil, salt and pepper. You should have about 2 cups (500 ml) of sauce.
For eggs:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F
(200 C). Have ready four ramekins or individual baking dishes (6 ounces/3/4 cup/175 ml) on a rimmed baking sheet. In a large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and cook garlic and thyme together for 30 seconds, just until garlic begins to brown and thyme releases scent.
2. Add marinara sauce.
Reduce heat to low and stir often until slightly thickened and bubbling. Remove from heat and discard thyme sprigs. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
3. Divide sauce among the four ramekins. Carefully crack an egg into each ramekin, then sprinkle with the cheese and a few drops of olive oil.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, until egg whites are set, yolks still appear runny and cheese has melted and appears bubbly.
5. Serve sprinkled with more fresh thyme or basil.