Author Notes
I grew up eating this dish, prepared by my mother's loving hands. It's so simple that it's almost not even a recipe...it's just 5 ingredients deciding to show up in the same pan together. And thank goodness for that! For all of its simplicity, these eggs pack a savory punch, helped substantially by a liberal sprinkling of Parmigiano-Reggiano. —Serena Cosmo | Rustic Plate
Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
-
1 1/2 tablespoons
olive oil
-
8
eggs, extra large
-
1 3/4 pounds
fresh Roma tomatoes, chopped (about 6)
-
1 handful
fresh basil leaves
-
1 cup
freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
-
Sea or Kosher salt and fresh-cracked pepper to taste
Directions
-
Optional step: Remove the skin off the tomatoes. Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil and throw the tomatoes in, allowing them to cook for 1 minute. Immediately remove them. Once they’ve sufficiently cooled, remove their skins with your hands. Then slice them in half and remove the seeds and the little hard section that connected them to the vine. Now chop them up and place them in a bowl.
-
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped tomatoes, along with any juices they've released since sitting in the bowl. You should hear a happy sizzle when they hit the pan. Add a little salt and stir. Add 1/2 cup of water and allow to cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
-
Remove the skillet from the heat and break the eggs into the tomatoes. Keep them in couples when you break them, as it then becomes easier to divvy out the portions. Add sea or Kosher salt and a good crack of black pepper to each egg and return to the heat. Lower the flame to medium. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano, making sure to cover all of the eggs with it and then sprinkling the rest on the tomatoes. Cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on whether you want the yolk to be runny or solid.
-
Add the basil leaves as soon as you remove the skillet off the heat. Serve immediately with some good country bread.
See what other Food52ers are saying.