Not Your Ordinary Italian

This sounds sacrilegious, I know, but there are times when I crave something inspired by the beautiful country of Italy that does not include pasta. Tonight was one of those nights. So, I decided to replicate a dish I saw on an Italian cooking show. I don't remember the show and just caught the end of it, but I got a long enough look at the dish to recreate it by visual memory. I have named this dish Nestled Eggs. It is a warming, hearty, tomato based dish. The beauty of this dish are the eggs that are delicately poached right in the tomato sauce. Serve with your favorite artisan style gluten free bread (I used Portland Sourdough from New Cascadia Traditional) and you have yourself a dinner that is not only sure to please but easy on the bank as well!

Nestled Eggs
1-2 Tbs butter or butter substitute for vegan
1/2 white onion sliced
4-6 red chard leaves, cut into thin strips (cut stems off at the bottom of the leaves)
1 can organic tomato sauce
2 cans roasted tomatoes, diced (drain the excess juice from the tomatoes and reserve)
2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
4 eggs

Heat butter in a deep skillet, preferably one with a lid. Once melted, add onion and saute 2-3 minutes. Add chard and saute just until chard begins to wilt. Add tomato sauce, roasted tomatoes, garlic, herbs and pepper flakes if using. Stir well and cover with lid. Once sauce begins to bubble gently reduce to a simmer. Simmer 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally. If sauce seems to be too thick, thin with reserved tomato juice. Once sauce has simmered allowing flavors to meld, create four little craters in the sauce. Gently crack one egg into each of the craters. Do not disturb the sauce and replace the lid. Keep the sauce and eggs covered until the eggs turn white. Remove lid and continue cooking until yolks are to your preference. Using a slotted spoon gently lift eggs from the sauce and place on a platter. Once all the eggs are on the platter, spoon the remaining sauce around them. Serve with toasted bread and enjoy!

*This is an original recipe by Jessica Mattson. Please appropriately reference with your personal use. Thank you!