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Flash-Fried Caramelised Tomatoes with Eggs
For a very simple, 10-minute breakfast or brunch, this is hard to beat. You can add other herbs and spices – thyme is very good – but at breakfast, I want to eat quickly, not fiddle around. I have the legendary Elizabeth David to thank for introducing me to the idea of lightening-quick tomato sauces.
- A good handful of cherry tomatoes per person, roughly-chopped
- 2 eggs per person
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar
- Put the chopped tomatoes in a bowl, and season well with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar.
- Heat the oil in a small pan on a high heat till it’s good and hot, then throw in the tomatoes, and cook until the juices have run out and are on the point of caramelising – about 2 – 3 minutes. Depending on the water content of the tomatoes, you may want to turn down the heat after you add them to the pan – you are aiming for caramelised, not burnt.
- Add the eggs on top, and turn the heat down a bit till the whites are cooked, but the yolk is still runny.
Diva notes.
Cooking Tomatoes
Watery, undercooked tomatoes are revolting. They must either be cooked very fast over a high heat, or slowly over a medium or low heat for about 20 – 40 minutes, or sometimes longer. Do not wishy-washily assume that you can cook them for a short amount of time on a low heat. You know they are cooked when the flavour is intense and sweet. If it is not, they are not.
Keep the Tomatoes Whole
To make it even easier, don’t chop the tomatoes. It’s not quite as good, but it is even quicker, which with the usual time constraints of getting to work in a timely fashion is sometimes worth it.
Heat the oil until it’s almost smoking. Throw in the cherry tomatoes. While they are getting over the shock of being quite so hot, add salt, pepper and the pinch of sugar. Then take up your masher and squish the tomatoes. Cook for another minute or two and then break the eggs on top of them.
N.b. The tomatoes may take revenge for their harsh treatment and squirt juice at you. Stand well back, wear an apron, or remove all light-coloured clothing.
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