Eggs in Purgatory
A classic Southern Italian dish featuring eggs gently poached in a simmering, spicy tomato sauce. It’s essentially the Italian cousin to shakshuka and gets its name from the bubbling red sauce, which represents the flames of purgatory surrounding the white egg "souls."
The Sauce: Sauté chopped onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes in olive oil until fragrant. Add crushed canned tomatoes (like San Marzano), salt, pepper, and fresh herbs (such as basil or oregano). Simmer until the sauce thickens.
The Eggs: Create small wells in the sauce with a spoon and crack the eggs directly into them. Cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the whites are set, but the yolks remain delightfully runny.
The Finish: Top with grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, fresh basil, and a drizzle of high-quality olive oil.
The Bread: Because the rich, savory sauce and runny yolks are meant to be scooped up, it is served with thick slices of toasted, crusty bread or garlic toast.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, like San Marzano
1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced or thinly sliced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano or 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup fresh basil leaves plus 2 tablespoons torn
5 to 7 large eggs
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Preparation
Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomato paste, oregano, salt, and pepper flakes, and cook, stirring occasionally, until rust-colored, about 2 minutes. Add basil leaves and cook until wilted, about 30 seconds. Stir in the reserved crushed tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough that a spatula leaves a trail in the sauce that slowly fills in behind it, but the sauce should still move when the skillet is shaken.
Remove skillet from heat and let sit for 2 minutes to cool slightly. In a small bowl, crack 1 egg. Using a rubber spatula or large spoon, clear a 2-inch-diameter well in the sauce. Immediately pour in the cracked egg. (The well will hold yolk in place but may not fully contain egg white; this is ok.) Repeat with the remaining eggs, evenly spacing the remaining eggs in total around the skillet perimeter and 1 in the center
Season each egg lightly with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover, and cook, reducing heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer, until yolks film over, 5 minutes. Continue to cook, covered, until whites are just set, 2 minutes longer for slightly runny yolks or 4 minutes for soft-cooked yolks.
Off heat, sprinkle with Parmesan and chopped basil, and drizzle with extra oil. Serve immediately with toasted bread.
Keywords: Main Breakfast Italian
