Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Serves: 1 (but easy to up as needed!)
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Ingredients:
Per person:
2 large slightly overripe tomatoes
Splash of rapeseed or sunflower oil
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
1 large egg
1 good slice of robust bread
Butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Veg Portions / Serving: 2
Recipe from Love Your Leftovers by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
This deliciously savoury, speedy supper from chef and broadcaster Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is the perfect way to use up overripe tomatoes. Tomatoes should really be stored at room temperature, which keeps them juicy and sweet, but also means that they ripen apace. If you find yourself with a couple of specimens that are heading into squishy territory – just a little too ripe to slice for a salad – this is the way to go. And if you feel greens are a must, serve the egg and tomato atop a layer of wilted spinach on the toast.
Method:
Slice the tomatoes in half around the ‘equator’. Holding the skin side of one half in your hand, grate the tomato flesh on a box grater, into a bowl. Keep going until you have only the skin left in your hand and a nice juicy pile of tomato pulp beneath.
Heat the oil in a small, non-stick frying pan over a medium-low heat and add the garlic. Let it sizzle briefly until just starting to colour.
Add the tomato pulp and some salt and pepper. Increase the heat, bring to a brisk simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, to reduce the liquid down a little.
Meanwhile, break the egg into cup.
Carefully tip the egg gently into the middle of the simmering tomato mixture. Turn the heat down low and cook for 5 minutes or so until the white of the egg is set. You can also baste the egg with the tomato ‘sauce’ to help set the top, or you can flip it, to have it ‘easy over’.
Meanwhile, toast and butter your bread.
Using a large spatula, scoop the egg carefully out of the pan and place it on the toast. Pour the remaining tomato sauce from the pan over the egg. Season again with salt and pepper and tuck in straight away.
Tips and swaps
You can use overripe cherry tomatoes here if you like – about 200g will do. There is no need to grate them. Just cut each one in half and give it a squish to get the juices flowing. Throw them into the hot frying pan when the garlic is nicely coloured.
Spice it up Doctor your tomato sauce with a pinch of spice – either ground cumin or curry powder. A spoon-tip of fiery harissa stirred into the tomatoes is also excellent.
Brunch option Add scraps of ham or cooked bacon or sausage to the sauce, or at the end.
Engaging Kids
Kids who engage regularly with veg through veg-themed activities, such as arts and crafts, sensory experiences, growing and cooking are shown to be more likely to eat the veg they engage with. Encouraging kids to engage and play with veg is the handy first step to them developing a good relationship with veg and life-long healthy eating.
Kids in the kitchen
Get the kids to help you with grating the tomatoes, cracking the egg into a cup, and buttering the toast!
Activities
While getting kids to interact with veggies for real and using their senses to explore them is best, encouraging hands off activities like arts & crafts, puzzles & games or at-home science experiments can be a great start, particularly for those who are fussier eaters or struggle with anything too sensory. Use these veg-themed activities as a stepping stone to interacting with the veg themselves. We have loads of crafty downloads here, puzzles here, and quirky science with veg here.
Sensory
Once you feel your child is ready to engage a little more, you can show them how to explore the veg you have on hand with their senses, coming up with playful silly descriptions of how a veg smells, feels, looks, sounds and perhaps even tastes. Find ideas, videos and some simple sensory education session ideas to get you started here.
Serving
The moments before food is offered can be a perfect opportunity for engagement that can help make it more likely a child will eat it! Giving children a sense of ownership in the meal can make a big difference to their feelings going into it and the pride they take in it. You know your child best, but if you aren’t sure where to start, we have some fun and simple ideas for easy roles you can give them in the serving process over here.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Hugh is a multi-award winning writer and broadcaster known for his uncompromising commitment to seasonal, ethically-produced food and his concern for the environment. He has earned a huge following through his River Cottage TV series and books, as well as campaigns such as Hugh’s War on Waste, Britain’s Fat Fight and his War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita.
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