Recipes are back! I used to post recipes regularly, which I stopped for various reasons. But since readers loved them, I’ve decided to bring them back, specializing in frugal dishes for the hard times we’re all facing. Hope you’ll enjoy them and that they’ll help you cook delicious food on a budget!
Eggs in Purgatory is a tasty down-home Italian recipe from the Naples area. Its curious name comes from the Catholic tradition of purgatory where souls are suspended between heaven and hell. The idea being that the eggs represent the souls and the red sauce the red-hot flames of purgatory.
Purgatory Eggs
Usually served with bread, we think they’re also great over rice or polenta!
Ingredients
- 4 fresh eggs
- 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped or crushed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz.)
- Sea salt and pepper, to taste
- Basil, oregano, and parsley (optional)
- 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
Directions
- Heat oil and garlic in large skillet and cook just until garlic turns golden brown.
- Add salt, pepper, and seasonings.
- Add tomatoes, squash, and cook over low heat about 10 minutes.
- Mix basil, garlic, and pine nuts together and blend lightly using mortar and pestle.
- Make 4 spaces in the tomato sauce and crack a whole egg into each of them, being careful to leave them whole. To ensure the eggs remain whole, crack them one at a time into a small cup or bowl and then pour into the sauce.
- Cover and cook about 8 minutes, until the whites are set but the yolks are still soft and a bit runny.
- Sprinkle with cheese.
- Serve immediately with toasted bread.
These delicious eggs have always been a family favorite in our house. Simple, nutritious, economical and tasty!
🍷 Suggested wine:
Following the adage “if it grows together it goes together,” I like to pair dishes with wines from their region of origin. And this full-bodied dry red wine from the Naples area with its musky berry flavors is a perfect match!
🥂 Cin-cin (or cheers) and buon appetito!
Images: Sauce eggs & ingredients | Sauce eggs
Signora Sheila 
8 responses to “Eggs in Purgatory”
So many dishes go from acceptable to extraordinary with an egg on top–extra protein too!
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True, Nancy. Eggs are so versatile, nutritious, yummy, and inexpensive. A must-have in the pantry!!
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I’m so tired of the same old, same old recipes. This looks fabulous! Can’t wait to try it! Thanks for improving my options, my friend.
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I think we all fall into menu ruts, Dayle. I know we do. It’s quick, easy, nutritious, and we like it so we do it all the time. But variety can really add a lot!! Enjoy!
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We have just been studying Rome and my granddaughter wanted to make some Italian meals. This looks perfect. Thank you.
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Great! I hope you all love it. And I think it’s a pretty easy dish for kids to cook!
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Looks & sounds delicious!
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It is, it is!! Yum yum, or as we spell it here “Gnam, gnam!!”
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