Eggs in purgatory
By Duncan Fingarson, Senior Columnist
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 jar tomato-based pasta sauce, or whatever sauce you prefer
Hot sauce (to taste)
Sliced cheddar cheese
Bread (for toast)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
I first encountered eggs in purgatory as a menu item at a moderately fancy hotel restaurant where I was getting breakfast. The eggs were great, and when I got home I set about re-creating the recipe on my own. Naturally, I did this in the laziest way possible, leading to this take on a what I would consider a classic recipe.
Pasta sauce is cheap and readily available from anywhere. Traditionally eggs in purgatory are done in a tomato sauce, but go with whatever sauce you want.
Pour the sauce into a frying pan and place on the stove over medium heat. Make sure to stir often enough that the sauce doesn’t start to burn and stick to the pan. Add your hot sauce and keep stirring. Be aware of your tolerance for spice, and don’t add more hot sauce than you can handle.
Crack the eggs directly into the pan, being careful not to break the yolks, and cover the pan with a lid. You want the eggs to poach in the pasta sauce. Add a little salt and pepper and cook the eggs for a couple of minutes. The eggs are done when the whites are opaque, with no remaining transparency. Keep in mind, you’re poaching the eggs, not frying them. The goo associated with sunny-side up is not welcome here!
While the eggs are cooking, toast your bread. The extra crispness will stop the bread from getting too soggy later on.
Slice some cheese and cover your toast with it. Put the eggs on the toast and pour the pasta sauce over top. What you’re left with should be a gooey, delicious mess.
Enjoy!
