Eggs in purgatory
Uova in purgatorio, eggs in purgatory — the eggs are the souls and the red, bubbling sauce the fire, or so the name is explained in Naples. It is a Neapolitan dish made of almost nothing: a tin of tomatoes, garlic, chilli and eggs, all in one pan, in under half an hour. What separates it from Middle Eastern shakshuka is its plainness — no peppers, no cumin, but basil and pecorino instead. What matters is letting the sauce thicken before the eggs go in, and keeping the yolks runny, because that is what the bread is for.
Your own work in that: 4 min.
- Tomato sauce 15 min
- Eggs 6 min
- Serving 4 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneFry the garlic
Heat the olive oil in a 24 cm pan and fry the crushed garlic with the chilli over low heat for 2 minutes, until fragrant but not browned.
Ingredients: 400 g canned tomatoes, ideally pelati · 3 tbsp olive oil · 2 cloves garlic · ½ tsp chilli flakes · ½ tsp salt · 8 pcs basil leaves
The garlic should perfume, not brown.Add the tomatoes
Pour in the tomatoes, crush them with a spoon, add the salt and cook over medium heat for 12–15 minutes, until clearly thickened and the oil starts to surface.
Ingredients: 400 g canned tomatoes, ideally pelati · 3 tbsp olive oil · 2 cloves garlic · ½ tsp chilli flakes · ½ tsp salt · 8 pcs basil leaves
Season the sauce
Stir in half the torn basil and taste — the sauce should already be punchy, since the eggs will mellow it.
Ingredients: 400 g canned tomatoes, ideally pelati · 3 tbsp olive oil · 2 cloves garlic · ½ tsp chilli flakes · ½ tsp salt · 8 pcs basil leaves
Make hollows
Make four hollows in the sauce with a spoon. If the sauce is too loose and they fill in, cook it 2 minutes longer.
Ingredients: 400 g canned tomatoes, ideally pelati · 3 tbsp olive oil · 2 cloves garlic · ½ tsp chilli flakes · ½ tsp salt · 8 pcs basil leaves
Add the eggs
Crack an egg into each hollow and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Ingredients: 4 pcs eggs · 30 g pecorino or Parmesan, grated · 4 pcs sourdough bread · ¼ tsp black pepper
Eggs into the hollows, not on top of the sauce.Cook covered
Cover the pan and cook over low heat for 5–6 minutes, until the whites set and the yolks stay runny. Set white loses its translucency — that is the best signal.
Ingredients: 4 pcs eggs · 30 g pecorino or Parmesan, grated · 4 pcs sourdough bread · ¼ tsp black pepper
Add the cheese
Off the heat, scatter with pecorino and the rest of the basil.
Ingredients: 4 pcs eggs · 30 g pecorino or Parmesan, grated · 4 pcs sourdough bread · ¼ tsp black pepper
Serve
Toast the bread and serve at once, straight from the pan — the bread goes into the yolk and sauce.
Ingredients: 4 pcs eggs · 30 g pecorino or Parmesan, grated · 4 pcs sourdough bread · ¼ tsp black pepper
Bread for the sauce is compulsory.
Before you start
Runny yolks
Runny yolks are not safe for children, pregnant women, the elderly or anyone immunocompromised. For them, cook the eggs covered for 8–9 minutes until the yolks set.
With fresh tomatoes
In summer use 600 g of ripe tomatoes, scalded and peeled. Cook the sauce 5 minutes longer, as fresh tomatoes hold more water.
Storage
The dish is made and eaten at once. The tomato sauce alone can be made ahead and kept 3 days in the fridge — crack the eggs into it once reheated.
