Eggs in Purgatory with Artichoke Hearts, Potatoes, and Capers

What I like about this recipe, is that it’s a One Dish Wonder. Eggs in Purgatory are really eggs simmered in a tomato sauce. This recipe is easy to make, hearty this is certainly pretty healthy. You can easily substitute artichoke hearts for mushrooms, if you like. I discovered that this dish easily adapts to being made a day ahead of time.

One of the perks of being a Food Buzz Featured Publisher is that I am given a chance to sample free products from Food Buzz Sponsors.  When Eggland’s Best was highlighted as a Sponsor, I was one of the lucky recipients of a coupon for a choice of Eggland’s Best eggs.  It wasn’t hard for me to give a positive review on this product, because I buy this brand all the time!  I pay extra to buy quality eggs, whenever possible.  I look for free range, hormone-free and I always check the date on the carton.

I chose brown eggs, because I’m partial to them. I don’t know why, but they look special. Actually, I love any kind of naturally colored eggs!   I’ve used one of the eggs to make Ina Garten’s Baked Scampi (which is excellent), and another recipe I have yet to post.  I was inspired on how to use the remaining eggs when I read the March 2010 issue of Bon Appetit.  Yesterday, I posted the Soda Bread recipe, which will become a family favorite. 

I’ve heard of “Eggs in Purgatory” before, and I’ve seen several versions. I chose this recipe because I’m a fan of artichoke hearts. You see, I live about 15 minutes from Castroville, California– which is the Artichoke Capitol of the World. A little trivia– Marilyn Monroe was once a Castroville Artichoke Festival Queen! I don’t know the exact year, but this is folklore in my area– but many locals attest to it.  I also liked that this recipe is healthy.  Before I show you how I made this, I want beginner cooks to know that is is very simple.  I also followed most of the Bon Appetit’s directions to make this– but I was inspired to try an experiment with the remainder of the ingredients on the following day. So, let’s get started:

The first thing I did, was to cut the recipe portions in half— I was cooking for two. I had a bag of frozen artichoke hearts, from Trader Joe’s. You need potatoes, and I had a large “Butter” potato on hand. I grow my own thyme, but had to resort to buying it–my own garden thyme is coming back, but not enough yet. You need an onion and a can of Fire Roasted Tomatoes.  These ingredients were not expensive. I’d say under $5.00.  There’s a little prep work to do:

I didn’t have red potatoes or Yukon Golds (my favorites), but I don’t peel them anyway (which the Bon Appetit recipes says to do. There’s a lot of nutrition in the skin, and I like the rustic look of it anyway.  I washed the potato and cut them into even-sized cubes. The artichokes got a quick thaw, and some help with a rinse of warm water.  I decided to cut them into bite-sized pieces.  If you don’t like artichokes (you are missing out), or you can’t find them easily– mushrooms would be a great substitute (or addition) for this recipe.

You can use dried thyme, but fresh is so much better! Just grab the stem and pull down– then mince the herbs. Dice the onion.  You need red pepper flakes.  I used to be scared of them, but now I love them.  1/4 teaspoon is just right, if you are wimpy about heat. If you opt out of using the red pepper flakes, that’s okay. I just think they complete the whole layer of flavors in this dish. You decide. C’mon, conquer your fear!  The prep work took me about 15 minutes. If you’re nervous with your knife skills, it might take longer. If you prep everything, then the rest is Easy Street.

Turn on the stove and grab a good skillet. I love my large cast iron skillet!

Heat the olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion, chopped thyme, and crushed red pepper; sprinkle lightly with coarse kosher salt and sauté until onion is tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the artichokes and minced garlic; stir 1 minute. Stir in diced tomatoes with juice and bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover skillet and simmer 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend. 

The top left photo are capers.  I used to hate these, but now I like them. Its another food aversion I’ve gotten over. They’re slightly salty and they’re nice in this recipe. Drain them and set aside. If you hate them, or can’t find them, that’s okay too.  Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in small saucepan of boiling salted water just until tender, about 8 minutes*. Drain. *NOTE: Since the potatoes will continue to cook in the oven, don’t overcook them, or they’ll become mushy. I overcooked them, because photography distracted me. The potatoes are going to cook more, in the oven. Be forewarned!  It’s almost time to add the eggs. I like to break an egg into a cup, to be sure I don’t get shells in them… or have a bad one (so far, this hasn’t happened to me). But, next…

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Now, add the drained potatoes and capers to tomato-artichoke sauce; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper  NOTE: The tomato sauce reduced a little more than I wanted it to, so I added a little bit of chicken stock which worked out really well.
DO AHEAD:  You can stop here, because the Tomato-artichoke sauce can be made up to 6 hours ahead. Cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm sauce before continuing. I didn’t do this, so let’s keep going. I’m going to show you something else in a moment…  The directions say to transfer the sauce into a baking dish.  If my skillet is oven-proof, why bother? After all, this is a one skillet meal!  So…

Using the back of spoon, make 8 evenly spaced indentations (in my case, four) in sauce for holding eggs. Crack 1 egg into each indentation in sauce (some of eggs may run together slightly in spots). Pop the oven proof skillet right into the oven!  That’s one less dish to clean!

I’m going to give you an honest opinion of how this dish tasted.  It was very satisfying, even though it’s “healthy”. By that, I mean that the red pepper flakes, fire roasted tomatoes and the heartiness of the potatoes and artichokes worked really well together.  Of course, we loved the Soda Bread with this!  My only disappointment was that the eggs were a bit overcooked.  I was not to be discouraged, though…. because there was a lot of vegetables leftover, after we ate our breakfast.  I do not like to waste food! So…

I decided to scoop the remainder of the vegetables into ramekins. Clever? No?  Yes!  I covered them in plastic wrap and put them in the fridge.  The next morning…. (today)

I added a little bit of chicken stock, to liven up the vegetables, and preheated the oven to 375F.

One egg per cup made sense to me.  I set the timer in five minute increments, watching the eggs closely…

16 minutes later, the whites look set.  I learned my lesson– don’t focus on the yolks. I removed the ramekins and sprinkled grated Parmesan on top.  Lesson learned on Take Two:  the eggs will continue to cook, even though you’ve removed them from the oven!  Get ready to drool….

My breakfast (after a 30 minute swim, thank you very much)… Soda Bread with butter and homemade apricot-pineapple jam and Eggs in Purgatory.  But, how did the eggs turn out, this time?

Just the way I like it…. a little runny, but not too runny.  So, here’s my theory– the shallower the dish and tomato sauce, the quicker the eggs will cook.  Depending on your oven, the time varies from 12-16 minutes. Eggs in Purgatory is a very simple and versatile way to serve eggs.  It’s lovely for a brunch, and a breeze to serve if you prepare the sauce one day in advance.

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The Devil’s Breakfast: Eggs in Purgatory with Artichoke Hearts, Potatoes, and Capers

What I like about this recipe, is that it's a One Dish Wonder. Eggs in Purgatory are really eggs simmered in a tomato sauce. This recipe is easy to make, hearty this is certainly pretty healthy. You can easily substitute artichoke hearts for mushrooms, if you like. I discovered that this dish easily adapts to being made a day ahead of time.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Eggs in Purgatory

Author: Debby – www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• Coarse kosher salt
• 1 8- to 10-ounce package 8- to 10-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts thawed, drained
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice preferably fire-roasted
• 8 ounces red-skinned or white-skinned potatoes peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I use Yukon Gold potatoes and I don't peel them)
• 2 tablespoons capers drained
• 8 large eggs
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• OPTIONAL: Mushrooms would be a great substitute for artichokes hearts or in addition to!

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat.

  Add chopped onion, chopped thyme, and crushed red pepper; sprinkle lightly with coarse kosher salt and sauté until onion is tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes.
• Add artichokes and minced garlic; stir 1 minute.

  Stir in diced tomatoes with juice and bring to boil.

  Reduce heat; cover skillet and simmer 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
• Meanwhile, cook potatoes in small saucepan of boiling salted water just until tender, about 8 minutes*. Drain.
• *NOTE: Since the potatoes will continue to cook in the oven, don't overcook them, or they'll become mushy.
• Add potatoes and capers to tomato-artichoke sauce; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper.
• DO AHEAD: Tomato-artichoke sauce can be made up to 6 hours ahead. Cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm sauce before continuing.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Pour tomato-artichoke sauce into 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish**.

  Using back of spoon, make 8 evenly spaced indentations in sauce for holding eggs.

  Crack 1 egg into each indentation in sauce (some of eggs may run together slightly in spots).

  Bake until egg whites and yolks are softly set, 12 to 16 minutes**.
• **My experience is to consider the eggs ready when they are still a little jiggly. They will continue to cook once you remove them from the oven. The shallower your dish and tomato mixture, the quicker the eggs will cook.
• Carefully remove baking dish from oven; sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over and serve.
• **I used a cast iron skillet, so I simply put the entire dish into the oven– no need to pour into a glass dish –OR
• You can put the vegetables into individual ramekins and store overnight and/or fill with an egg and bake according to directions.

Notes

Nutritional Information
1 serving contains the following:
Calories (kcal) 427.0
%Calories from Fat 52.0
Fat (g) 24.7
Saturated Fat (g) 6.1
Cholesterol (mg) 430.7
Carbohydrates (g) 32.0
Dietary Fiber (g) 5.7
Total Sugars (g) 10.0
Net Carbs (g) 26.3
Protein (g) 21.5

Recipe source: March 2010 Bon Appetit Magazine

Tried this recipe?Mention @afeastfortheeyes or tag #afeastfortheeyesblog!

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