In Rome they eat pizza eggs, and yes, they taste just as good as they sound
Eggs are amazing. You can do such a ridiculous number of things with them. Simply boil or fry them, use them for cakes and bakes, or make dishes with them such as shakshuka. All great. But I’ve got a real winner of an egg variation for you: eggs ‘alla pizzaiola’.
Eggs, tomatoes and mozzarella combined into a wonderfully soft, cheesy, fluffy dish. With just the right freshness from the tomatoes. Mmm.
Pizza eggs
I came across it on Bon Appetit, where Italian Marianna Cerini talks about the dish her mother always makes for her when she comes home. And when she’s hungover. And when she doesn’t feel like cooking. And as a snack. And when there’s (almost) nothing left in the house. And when she gets the munchies at night. Anyway, you get the idea: this dish is always a good choice.
How to make eggs ‘alla pizzaiola’
- Pour a generous splash of olive oil into a medium-sized frying pan and fry the garlic in it. Add a pinch of salt and cook until soft and lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Then add the tomatoes (you can also use canned peeled tomatoes if you don’t have fresh tomatoes). Let them cook for about 5 minutes, until they break down and become jammy. You can also tear in a few basil leaves, if you like.
- Turn down the heat, make four wells in the tomato mixture and crack an egg into each one. Then divide the mozzarella strips around the eggs. Don’t skimp on the cheese: that creaminess is what makes this dish so great.
- Sprinkle over some more salt and pepper and cover the pan with a lid. This makes the mozzarella melt faster and gives you those perfect egg yolks: slightly runny and soft. The whole thing should wobble a little, with the mozzarella pieces bobbing on the surface, floating like thick clouds.
- Remove the pan from the heat, put it on the table and eat straight from it. Oh, and one small—but important—detail: make sure you have bread to go with it. This is a meal begging to be eaten with a crispy piece of sourdough.
Mix it up
Just like with pizza, you can of course pimp your eggs alla pizzaiola however you like. Add some Parma ham, olives, parsley, oregano or red chilli: anything goes, it’s your party. Tip: sprinkle some Parmesan over the top for the ultimate cheesiness.
You can also switch up the eggs: scrambled, poached or as a frittata, they all work. This is the kind of dish that doesn’t require any difficult techniques; it’s as simple as it sounds, and that’s exactly what makes it such an ultimate comfort food dish.
Also read:
- First: the Netherlands’ first pizza drive-through has opened
- Barbecue pizza bread: impossible to mess up
- You’re better off having pizza for breakfast than muesli
