Eggs ‘fried’ in Tomato…
This part-poached, part-scrambled egg in tomato recipe is one that I’d completely forgotten about for years!
I remember having this as a child from time to time and, when I mentioned it to my daughters, they were very keen to try it. We had it this morning for breakfast (well, my eldest and I did – our youngest daughter couldn’t wait that long for breakfast!) and it was very well received.
Please see notes lower down on the page for low-cal/low-fat variations
Ingredients (for 2 people)
- 2 large eggs
- a large knob of lightly salted butter (for the tomato & egg cooking)
- butter or margarine, if desired, to spread onto the toast
- bread for toast (choose whatever bread you enjoy most – you’ll need a couple of slices per person)
- 1 carton/tin of chopped tomatoes (390-400g)
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
Method
Heat up the butter in a large frying pan and, when it starts sizzling, add the tomatoes. Stir and keep on a high heat.
Season with salt & pepper and let the tomatoes bubble away until they start thickening and they lose their ‘raw’ taste.
Start toasting your bread at this point as the actual egg cooking will be very quick! Once your bread is toasted to your liking, spread oodles of butter or margarine over it (that is my preference, but of course you can spread as little or as much…or none at all, if you prefer!).
Separate your eggs, taking great care to keep the yolks in one piece. With the tomato base bubbling away in the pan, pour in the egg white, all the while stirring vigorously so that the egg white instanly ‘scrambles’ into the tomato. Mix well to ensure you have an even tomato-egg-scramble in your pan.
Carefully place the egg yolks over the top of the tomato & egg white base. Season with salt & pepper, to taste, if desired. Cook for as long as you need to, depending on your preference. Do bear in mind that the egg yolk will keep cooking after you serve, as it’s sitting on hot tomatoes, so if you like yours very runny and barely warmed through, only leave it in the pan for 20-30 seconds at the very most!
Carefully place tomato & egg-white, and egg yolk, over toast, making sure each person has one egg yolk.
Enjoy as part of a cooked breakfast, served alongside other items such as bacon, sausages, black pudding, mushrooms and whatever else takes your fancy, or enjoy as a breakfast/lunch/snack on its own!
Low-fat / Low-cal variation ideas:
The simplest variation to reduce the calories and fat contents is to cook the tomatoes without butter. You can also omit the butter/margarine from your toast!
Another variation is to omit the butter and omit the egg yolk – I believe in the USA you can get ‘egg-white omelettes’ for the calorie- and cholesterol- conscious…the tomato & egg-white base is very tasty on its own and full of protein.
Gloriously Simple, Gloriously Good!
