Email to Cat      

Eggs Baked in Tomatoes

Source of Recipe

From "A Real Southern Cook" by Dora Charles


Recipe Introduction

"The original version of this old country recipe didn't do much for me - it needed a lot more flavor. So I took it in an Italian direction, putting a little garlic butter under the eggs, along with some fresh basil, and topping the whole thing with Parmesan. Big difference! You can add a little chopped ham or even crumbled bacon with the garlic butter if you want it to be a bit more rib-sticking. The juices the tomatoes give off in the cooking are really good, so be sure to serve them with grits or stacks of toast to soak them up."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 4 baseball-size ripe but firm tomatoes
â—¦ Salt and ground black pepper
â—¦ ½ stick (4 tablespoons) butter, softened
â—¦ 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
â—¦ 4 fresh basil leaves
â—¦ ¼ cup chopped ham or crumbled cooked bacon (optional)
â—¦ 4 large eggs in the shell, at room temperature
â—¦ 4 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
â—¦ Slivered fresh basil, for garnish


Recipe

Set the oven to 425° F.

Cut off the top third of each tomato and slice off a small piece of their bottoms so they can sit up straight, or the eggs may run out. Scoop out the insides with a spoon, leaving just the walls of the tomato shells. Sprinkle well with salt and pepper inside and turn the shells upside down on a rack to drain while you make the garlic butter.

Mash the butter with a fork in a small bowl and work in the garlic bits evenly. Arrange the drained tomato shells right side up in a shallow baking dish just large enough to hold them all. Drop a tablespoon of garlic butter into each tomato shell, followed by a torn-up basil leaf. Add the ham or bacon if you're using it.

Crack an egg into each tomato, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and scatter 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan evenly over each tomato. Try to leave a little yolk showing so you can tell how the egg is cooking later.

Slide the baking dish into the oven and bake until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny, close to 20 minutes. Garnish with slivers of basil if you like, and serve hot.


Serves 4