Eggs in Purgatory

Don't we all feel like this a little right now, suspended in a fiery hell that's poaching our souls?

Okay. I'm being dramatic, but 2020 feels like this to me. The uncertainty of the world and all its guidelines - a purgatory of sorts.

Roman Catholics believe in purgatory, a place between heaven and hell, where one's soul goes for purification from its earthly sins before it can enter heaven. I don't know where my soul will go when I die. Right now, I'm just praying that my kids' school be purified with lots of hand sanitizer and bleach before they are allowed to enter its not-so-pearly gates.

Concerning the pandemic (not my faith), I don't know what to believe. It seems like facts get mixed-in with misguided beliefs and political ideology, so much so that somewhere, the statue of St. Christopher's head is probably spinning.

And there's so much spinning being spun. It's hard to keep balance in this topsy-turvy. limbo-ish world.

I don't want to wait until I die to get prayed-out of limbo, and praying for the dead to shorten their stay at L'hotel Limbo is what Catholics do best. Neapolitans take it one step further and believe the dead can pray for you.

In that case, I ask every expired, mummified, dearly departed to shorten the effects of this virus business so we can all get back to our normal, hedonistic selves.

Fill a large, cast-iron skillet with marinara sauce. Add the hot pepper flakes, parmesan cheese, and butter. Stir until butter is melted and heat sauce until it gently bubbles. With a spoon, make a little indentation in the sauce. Gently crack the egg into this spot. Repeat this process with five or six eggs. Cover with a lid and cook until whites are cooked and the yolk is runny (about 3-4 minutes).

I know it's cliché and idealistic, but no matter what you believe, I'll be kind to you and you'll be kind to me, and the world will be better for it. Because right now, I feel a little like an Anima Sola, a lonely soul, and maybe you do too.

Eggs in Purgatory

Eggs in Purgatory

This is a breakfast dish for a crowd. Make it as mild or as fiery as you like. It can be cooked on the stovetop with the lid on, or in the oven. Serve it with crusty Italian bread and a glass of O.J.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• 1 recipe marinara sauce
• 1 tsp hot pepper flakes or more if you like it hot, hot, hot
• 2 TBSP grated parmesan or romano cheese + more for garnish
• 5-8 eggs
• 5-8 slices grilled, Italian bread

Instructions

 

• Fill a large, cast-iron skillet with marinara sauce. Add the hot pepper flakes, parmesan cheese, and butter. Stir until butter is melted and heat sauce until it gently bubbles. With a spoon, make a little indentation in the sauce. Gently crack the egg into this spot. Repeat this process with five or six eggs. Cover with a lid and cook until whites are cooked but yolks are still runny (about 3-4 minutes).

Notes

To make individual Eggs in Purgatory, use 4 small, oven-safe crocks. Preheat oven to 400 F°. Ladle a spoonful of sauce into each crock, make the indentation into the sauce with a spoon, and crack two eggs into each crock. Bake for 17-20 minutes.