Taste Like Home: EggInnaHole for Breakfast

In the chaotic ballet that was my childhood, there were some repeat players in the form of Rick, Clara and Angela. Angela is actually my baby sister's age, and for one reason or another it seems we were constantly at one another's houses. Happy times to see Amy and Angela running around playing while the grown-ups chatted and the older kids (that’d be me and Michael) were torn between kidsplay and grownup discussions. The very first time I remember eating this dish, Rick made it.

For me memories are mostly vignettes: short moments in time caught on the grainy, slightly jumpy super8 of my memory, with the color, focus and cropping all slightly out of whack. In this particular vignette the kitchen is filled with light, people are happy and there is an air of anticipation. Sometimes the best part of a meal is the memories that come with it. Memories can make even the simplest ingredients come together to form your favorite dish, and this is one of mine.
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EggInnaHole is a very easy dish, and requires very little in the way of prep or cooking. This is a GREAT dish to cook with kids who are just beginning to show an interest in cooking.  I've also heard it called Egg in a Basket and Toad In a Hole, though I understand that typically refers to a different dish.

Here are your Implements of Construction :  If you’ve got those things (or an adequate substitute for them), then you’re ready to go!

Eggs (2 per person)

A Hearty Bread (2 slices per person)

Butter or Margarine (but not cooking spray or oil)

A few herbs or spices of your choice

A cutting board

A butter knife

A small tea-cup or round cookie-cutter

A frying pan

A stove

Once you’ve gathered your materials, it’s a pretty simple operation.

Butter the bread on both sides (This is why you want a good, solid bread. Floppy white bread just can’t stand up and talk back to being buttered on BOTH sides!)

Turn on the stove to a medium – medium high heat.

Lay the buttered bread on the cutting board, and use either a round cookie-cutter or a teacup with a small rim to cut a hole in the center of the bread. (We save the bread “hole” and fry that up in the pan with everything else.)

Place the Bread With a Hole in the pan, and crack an egg into it.

• Cooking two at a time is perfectly acceptable, provided your pan is large enough
• I never actually crack the egg into the pan because I am MORTALLY FEARFUL of eating eggshells. I crack them, one at a time, into a bowl and then into the pan.

Cook for a few moments, as you would an “over easy” egg. Flip and repeat, adding a few spices for some extra flavor if you’d like. (I really love chili powder, cumin and a little Madras curry on eggs!).

  

These are really great if you serve them while the eggs are still a little runny.

Awesome with other breakfast foods like bacon, sausage, fresh fruit, slice tomatoes, or whatever floats your boat. Best served with fresh ground coffee and good friends!