Brunch for Guests: Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce

Last fall my cousin came in from out of town, and brought his then-girlfriend and a couple of their friends to stay with us for the weekend. Trying to be the ever-pleasing hostess, I made them a lot of food! We had other activities planned during the day, so I only had two breakfasts with which to woo them. I had been eyeing several recipes of eggs poached in a tomato sauce, and decided to try it out for my guests. They loved it so much that I am still hearing about it over a year later.

My cousin and his girlfriend have since gotten engaged and I will be attending their bridal shower this weekend. A tradition in our family is to have guests bring a recipe to the shower to share with the couple. My cousin and his fiancée actually requested for this recipe to be my contribution to their "recipe book".

Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce is the ultimate comfort food, as it is warm, filling, and can be eaten for any meal (breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and even a late night snack!). It also comes together quickly and is made mainly with staple pantry items (feel free to omit the fresh herbs if you don't have them on hand). I make this pretty frequently for me and my husband to eat for dinner!

Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste (preferably with Italian seasoning)
2 tablespoons olive oil, separated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 clove garlic, whole and sliced in half
Splash of white wine
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 large eggs
4 slices country bread, for serving
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley, for garnish

Directions
Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine. Add canned tomatoes (including the juice) and bring to a boil; season salt and pepper. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

Gently crack eggs into tomato mixture, cover, and let cook 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, uncover, and let stand 2 to 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, use remaining olive oil and brush oil on both sides of bread slices. Lay bread slices on a baking sheet, and bake in oven for approximately 10 minutes (until bread is golden and crusty). Remove bread from oven and rub immediately rub each side of bread with halves of garlic clove.

Transfer each egg to a piece of toasted bread. Spoon over sauce, garnish with cheese and parsley, and season with salt and pepper; serve immediately.