Eggs Poached In Avocado Salsa Verde

One of my favorite breakfast foods is eggs in purgatory (eggs poached in a spicy red tomato sauce), a dish that originated in Italy. A morbid name for a delightful dish, don’t you think? (Although there is a very similar dish in Algerian, Egyptian, Libyan, Moroccan, and Tunisian cuisines called shakshuka.)  

I decided to come up with a version that included fresh California grown avocados. I started by substituting a tomatillo salsa verde for the traditional spicy red tomato sauce and added two California Avocados, pureeing everything together in a blender to make the sauce thicker and creamier, and to tone down the spiciness. This actually makes this dish quicker and easier to prepare, as the salsa verde contains ingredients you would normally have to prep, like sautéed onions and garlic, or simmering the sauce until it thickens. 



Once you have made the sauce, you prep the eggs by cracking them into small ramekins. 



Then you bring the sauce to a simmer in a skillet and quickly add the eggs, one at a time, spacing them out so that they have room to cook, and place a lid on the skillet to help the eggs cook in the steamy heat. Once they are set, you remove the skillet from the heat, sprinkle some chopped cilantro and grated Parmesan cheese over the top, then serve it in shallow bowls with a few slices of fresh avocado and thin slices of crusty baguette. 





You could also ditch the bread and serve it with tortilla chips, like breakfast nachos, or put it over steamed rice in a bowl for a breakfast rice bowl. It’s a heavenly breakfast.

EGGS POACHED IN AVOCADO SALSA VERDE RECIPE

Serves: 4-6

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
2 ½ cups (20 fluid ounces) mild tomatillo salsa verde
2 ripe, Fresh California Avocados, seeded and peeled
6 large eggs
Pinch of fine grain sea salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

To Garnish
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated (add more to taste)
1 ripe, Fresh California Avocado, seeded, peeled and thinly sliced

Directions

1. Put the salsa and avocados in a blender and blend until mostly smooth
2. Crack each egg into a small ramekin and set them aside. (This makes it easier to add them to the avocado salsa verde quickly and also helps you avoid getting egg shells in the pan!)
3. Heat a 10-inch skillet with high sides over medium heat. Add the salsa mixture and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Heat the sauce until it comes to a simmer
4. Carefully slide each egg on top of the sauce, arranged so that they are all separated. Sprinkle each egg with a pinch of salt and pepper, then cover the skillet with a lid and allow the eggs to cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the eggs are just set. Sprinkle with the cilantro and shredded parmesan, then serve in shallow bowls topped with slices of fresh avocado. Eat with thin slices of baguette

*Recipe Notes: You could also serve it with tortilla chips, like breakfast nachos, or over rice for a breakfast rice bowl.