Uova in Purgatory

See this cookbook?  This well used and loved cookbook?

A few years ago, my husband was on an Italian cooking kick, and this turned into his bible.

I know...  A TV show cookbook?  But seriously, it has some great recipes in it. 

It has been rode hard and put away wet...  The pages are dog eared and tattered....

It has food splashed on it and some of the pages have stuck together, but it has been a fixture in our kitchen for many years.  These days, we make modifications of many of the recipes which have been tailored to meet the palate of our family.  But, I would highly recommend the cookbook to anyone who wants a good general purpose, traditional Italian cookbook.  I'm going to be posting a few of our favorites in the next few weeks.  Today, it is Uova  (Eggs) in Purgatory. 

The ingredients are pure and simple.  Tomatoes, eggs, garlic, basil, olive oil, and (missing from this picture) salt, pepper and Parmesan.

My family is garlic crazy, so we start with around 8 garlic cloves

and mince them up into a nice big pile.

Next, take two 14.5 ounce cans of diced or whole tomatoes

and puree them in a blender.

I think this recipe is best done in a cast iron skillet, but most types of skillets should work.  Add 1/4 of cup of olive oil to the pan along with the minced garlic.  I usually don't turn the heat on until both the oil and garlic are in the pan because of the potential to scorch the garlic if the oil is too hot.

Cook the garlic over medium heat until it is lightly browned and then add the pureed tomatoes.

Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste

and then stir in a bunch of basil.

Once combined, simmer the sauce over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.  While the sauce is cooking, grate 1/2 a cup of Parmesan cheese.  I like to use a coarse grate for the cheese in this dish.

The sauce is thick enough when you can see the bottom of your pan for a few seconds as you stir.

Now it is time to add 8 eggs.  I've found the easiest way to do this is to lay a spoon into the sauce, making a well, crack the egg into the spoon and then slip the spoon out from under the egg.

Try to keep the eggs evenly spaced in the pan.

Season again with salt and pepper and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top.

Cover and cook over low heat until eggs are the desired consistency.  If you like a nice runny yolk, this is usually about three minutes.

Sprinkle the dish with a little Italian parsley, if desired,

spoon two eggs with lots o' sauce onto each plate

and serve with crusty Italian bread to sop up the extra sauce and yolk.

Uova in Purgatory
serves: 4  (Recipe also on Tasty Kitchen)

• 8 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
  
• 2 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes, pureed
  
•  salt
•  freshly ground pepper
• 10 basil leaves
  
• 8 eggs
• 1/2 c Parmesan, coarsely grated
  
• Italian parsley, for garnish
  

Puree the tomatoes in a blender.  Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil with minced garlic in a cast iron skillet until golden.  Add the pureed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in a bunch of basil.  Simmer the sauce over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes until nicely thickened.

Making a well in the sauce with a spoon, crack an egg into the spoon and then slip the spoon out from under the egg.  Repeat for each of the eight eggs, keeping the eggs evenly spaced in the skillet.  Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top.  Cover and cook over low heat until eggs are the desired consistency, about three minutes.

Garnish with a little Italian parsley and serve with Italian bread.