Poached Eggs with Slow Roasted Tomatoes and Baby Spinach

Inspired by Fraiche in Evanston, IL

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Makes enough for two recipes of the eggs

8 medium to large sized Roma tomatoes, ripe

4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

1.  Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.  Wash the tomatoes and slice each tomato in half, removing the stem.  Arrange the tomatoes, cut side up, on a large, rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Turn the tomatoes around and rub with the oil and seasonings before arranging again, cut side up.  Put a little garlic on top of each tomato.  Roast for 2 hours at 250 degrees before turning the oven temperature up to 275 degrees and roasting for another 2 hours.  Tomatoes should be shriveled and have shrunk tremendously.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Poached Eggs, Toast, Slow Roasted Tomatoes, Baby Spinach

Serves two

2 large eggs

2 pieces brioche or other rustic sweet bread

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ recipe slow roasted tomatoes (8 tomato halves)

3 cups baby spinach

4 tablespoons whipped cream cheese or ricotta

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Garlic salt and chili flakes optional

1.  In a bowl, toss together the spinach with a couple teaspoons olive oil, the salt and pepper, and a sprinkling of garlic salt and chili flakes if using.  Microwave the slow roasted tomatoes until hot, about 25 to 30 seconds and toss immediately with the dressed spinach.  Set aside.  (Spinach will wilt slightly.)

2.  Bring a small pot of water to a boil.  Fry the bread in the butter and cut each bread slice in half.  Spread a quarter of the cream cheese or ricotta on each half.  Arrange two bread halves together on a plate.  (Do this twice.)  Divide the slow roasted tomato salad among the plates, topping the bread.  Poach two eggs in the water.  This takes about 2-3 minutes each.  To successfully poach eggs, splash a little white wine vinegar in the water and swirl the water with a spoon, creating a current, before dropping the egg in.  This collects the white and keeps the egg from spreading.  Carefully top each plate with one egg and sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper.  Eat immediately.

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