Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Delicious Eggy Dinner

So I should have a photo to post, but my dinner was so delicious looking, and my stomach was so demanding, that I have nothing but my words.

I’ve been reading the Bitten blog from the New York Times the past few days, since they have several ideas for delicious meals, even for one. I found a recipe for “baked egg” which looked yummy, but needed some modifications. The recipe suggests you take a slice of tomato, cover with a piece of prosciutto and crack an egg on top. Then you bake it in the oven for 12 minutes at 375 degress, until the whites are set. Well fine, except I don’t want ham, and I have all this leftover stewed tomato with olives, and I don’t like under-cooked eggs. But I liked the idea.

So here’s what I did:
I took a soup bowl with a flat bottom from the cabinet (praying it was oven-safe) and spooned some stewed tomatoes into it (I love stewed tomatoes, because they are easy to make and you can eat them with just about anything. Seriously. Chicken, eggs, beef, on the stove, in the oven. You could even make a savoury pancake if you wanted, or just have it on toast. Make a potful and eat it every meal for a week). I cracked two eggs (I was really hungry) into another bowl and stirred them thoroughly. Then I poured them over the tomatoes. Finally, I sliced some fresh mozzarella and placed it in the eggs. I suppose if I hadn’t been as hungry I could have half cooked the eggs and put the cheese on then, so it would melt and broil on top. I could have, but I didn’t. Finally I put my (rather full) soup bowl in the oven. I was almost certain it would spill over a little, but I had no idea how much. Fortunately after 15 or so minutes the over-spill was minimal and the eggs were perfect. You know they are done (to my liking) when the top is puffy, slightly golden and a little cracked, and it doesn’t jiggle when you take it out.

I thought it would be fine, a tasty thing to eat and quick to prepare. I was wrong. It was absolutely delicious, rich and savoury, very cheesy and a perfect balance of the elements. The mozzarella sunk a bit to the bottom and ended up being more mixed with the tomatoes than the eggs, but it was perfect. I ate it with buttered toast (which I still have to make in a frying pan on the stove).  I’m so glad I discovered this recipe, which I’m sure will be a dream when I’m tired and don’t feel like cooking very much. Next time I’ll put a plate under the soup bowl to catch the drips, but the possibilities for preparing this are virtually endless. Bacon, prosciutto, asparagus, spinach, you name it.

I have some baking plans for the weekend, but my Saturday morning recipe will be something called a “Dutch Baby Cake” which is apparently a large pancake you bake in the oven. It sounds delectable and I’m hoping to find some maple syrup in the grocery store to pour on top. Bless!

No comments:

Post a Comment