BLOODY MARY EGGS

I made these Bloody Mary eggs the morning after a slightly overenthusiastic night. The obvious answer to a hangover would have been a Bloody Mary, but I had to work for the rest of the day, so that felt like a terrible idea. Instead, I put all those Bloody Mary flavours into breakfast.

Think shakshuka, but with horseradish, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and celery salt stirred through the tomato sauce. They make the tomatoes rich and savoury, with a nice little kick that feels particularly welcome the morning after.

When you add the eggs, I find it much easier to do them one at a time. Make a hole, crack in an egg, make another hole, crack in another egg. It saves you having six eggs cracked and ready to go while you panic about getting them all into the sauce at once.

I finish the Bloody Mary eggs with olives, because I always want an olive in my Bloody Mary, plus pickled red onion, feta and plenty of parsley. Eat with lots of toast for dipping and, hopefully, start to feel human again.

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BLOODY MARY EGGS

Eggs in a rich, spicy tomato sauce with all the good bits of a Bloody Mary.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 3 servings

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 2 shallots finely chopped
• 5 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes
• 200 g cherry tomatoes
• 2 tsp horseradish
• 2 tsp tabasco
• 1.5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp celery salt
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 6 eggs
• 40 g olives (black or green – your choice), thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp pickled red onion
• 50 g feta cheese
• large handful parsley leaves only
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat a good glug of olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed frying pan (one with a lid!) over a medium heat. Once hot, add the shallots and a good pinch of salt and fry gently for 5-6 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, tomato puree and smoked paprika and fry for a further minute or so, just to soften the garlic.
2. Pour both tins of tomatoes into the pan, and use your wooden spoon to roughly crush and break them apart. Next, add the cherry tomatoes, horseradish, tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt and a good grind of black pepper. Give everything a stir, then bring the pan to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and the cherry tomatoes have broken down (you can crush them a little with your spoon, to help them along). Stir through the red wine vinegar, then taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.

3. Make a well in the sauce, large enough for an egg to sit in. Quickly crack an egg into it, then repeat with the remaining 5 eggs. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for a further 5-10 minutes, or until the egg whites are opaque (it is super easy to overcook the eggs here – do keep a close eye on them).

4. Finish the eggs by sprinkling over the olives and pickled red onions. Crumble over the feta, and serve garnished with parsley and a good crack of black pepper. Eat with toast, if you like.