ABRAMS Dinner Party Spotlight: Scott Conant's Peace, Love and Pasta...Featuring Eggs In Purgatory #abramsdinnerparty #healthy2021#weekendbrunch #scottconant #eggs

I'm excited to share that I'm participating in the ABRAMS Dinner Party blogging group for my third year! I love receiving ABRAMS Publishing's new cookbook releases...and sharing some fabulous recipes with y'all! This season, I'll be sharing recipes that mesh with my new dietary changes...fewer carbs and more protein. The first cookbook I'm sharing is Chef Scott Conant's Peace, Love, and Pasta. You probably know Conant from his chef appearances on Food Network's Chopped. With my current eating plan, finding a recipe to feature from a pasta-centric cookbook seemed like a huge challenge at first glance. But? I immediately honed in on Chef Conant's Eggs In Purgatory recipe...eggs simmered in a garlicky herbed tomato base. I knew it would be a perfect weekend brunch treat! Since I was only feeding two people, I cut the recipe from the book in half...and I also used a lot less olive oil than the original recipe called for. 

With this cookbook, Chef Conant returns home to create his most personal cookbook. Recipes are made with simple, fresh ingredients that were staples of his childhood in a New England family...with roots in Southern Italy. Focusing on foods he grew up with...and the dishes he makes for his loved ones today...Peace, Love, and Pasta features simple, flavorful Italian recipes for home cooks to serve at their own table. This Eggs in Purgatory recipe is a perfect example of that simplified cooking style!

Eggs In Purgatory

from Peace, Love and Pasta

Ingredients (scaled to make TWO servings):

• 2 tsp. olive oil 
• 1 TBS thinly sliced garlic -- 2 garlic cloves
• Pinch crushed red pepper
• 1.5 cups good-quality tomato sauce with no added sugar
• 1/2 TBS chopped Calabrian chile (optional -- I did not use)
• 1.5 TBS chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1.5 TBS roughly chopped fresh basil
• 1.5 TBS chopped fresh chives
• 4 large eggs 
• Kosher salt
• For garnish (optional): more chopped parsley and 1 TBS shredded parmesan

Directions:

Step 1: Heat the olive oil, garlic and red pepper in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until the garlic starts to turn golden and brown on the edges -- 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato sauce; Calabrian chile (if using); and the parsley, basil, and chives. Cook over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens and reduces by half -- about 10 minutes.

Step 2: Make four wells in the sauce with a wooden spoon, then break in four eggs. Be sure to distribute them evenly in the skillet. Cover and cook until the whites are opaque and cooked -- about 5 minutes. I like my egg yolks thick...but still slightly runny...and this timing was perfect.

Step 3: Serve immediately. Can be served family style straight from the skillet...or divided among two shallow serving bowls. I sprinkled each serving with more chopped parsley and 1/2 TBS shredded parmesan cheese just before serving.

This Italian classic is a delicious, filling weekend brunch...or weeknight brinner. It's tasty...but it's also gorgeous to look at! The combination of garlicky tomato sauce sauce and rich egg yolks is fantastic...such a great combination of flavors and textures! For those not watching their carb intake, crusty bread is a great way to eat any remaining tomato sauce. I served these eggs with a simple green salad and no-fat dressing. I'll definitely be making this dish over and over as the weather turns cooler and I want more hearty meals.

A few things to note...

The original recipe calls for incorporating the egg whites into the sauce, then dropping in the yolks to cook. I tried that my first time making this recipe...but it didn't work out well for me. So? I remade the recipe and simply dropped whole eggs into the sauce to poach. Is that authentic? Maybe not...but it worked well for me. Although I cooked a half batch of this recipe, it's easy to make it for a larger crowd. Simply double the sauce ingredients using a larger skillet, then add a dozen eggs to serve 4-6 hungry people. 

Disclosure: I received a review copy of Peace, Love, and Pasta as part of ABRAMS Publishing's Dinner Party blogging group. All opinions shared in this post are solely my own.