Eggs Diablo on a Nest of Soft Polenta

We had house guests this weekend - Steve's oldest friend, Tim, and his new lady, Sara. It was bitter cold and windy, snowing wildly before they arrived. I kept my fingers crossed we wouldn't lose power- the last time they planned to visit was the weekend the oak tree blew over on the roof and we lost electricity (and heat).

The winds weakened by mid-afternoon, however, and the snow quickly blew out to sea. They arrived on time, safe and smiling, bearing wine and coffee beans.

I anticipated the wintry weather and planned lots of spicy foods to warm us up. Baked goat cheese smothered with salsa broke the ice- served with a lovely red wine Tim brought - French or Italian - I'm not sure, as I my attention was focused not on labels but on Sara and making her feel welcome and comfortable in our home. Pulling the melting snowy chevre and salsa from the oven and arranging corn chips around the dish, I imagined her three hour ride here.

Meeting a new love's best friend and his wife is a bit nerve wracking. Tim and Steve met as roommates at university. They bonded over The Band and have traveled Europe together four times (post college they picked grapes in France twice, for road money.)

Two bottles of wine later (not to mention the platter of pasta smothered with balsamic roasted red and green peppers, asparagus tips, and copious amounts of garlic tossed with tenders of chicken, capers and chopped tomatoes) we had eased into a gentle convivial ebb and flow, and Sara felt as familiar as an old friend.

Dessert, by the way, was thin wedges of Flourless Chocolate Cake topped with espresso ice cream and Mexican Hot Fudge Sauce. We crashed at midnight and rose early to the heavenly scent of organic Dean's Beans, brought by Tim and Sara. After a shoulder loosening hot shower I strapped on my Domestic Goddess apron and began making brunch - a creamy soft polenta topped with spicy Eggs Diablo. More heat and spice to warm us.


Eggs Diavolo on a Nest of Soft Polenta Recipe

Bake the eggs as you stir the polenta and brunch will be done in no time. I used stone ground cornmeal for the polenta, so it took longer to cook than a pre-cooked "instant" version. The creamy corny texture was worth the effort.

To make the polenta:

1 cup yellow cornmeal polenta
4 1/2 cups broth (I used a vegan "chicken" broth)
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

For the Eggs Diablo/Diavolo:

2 cups spicy salsa
2 cups red sauce [I used Muir Glen Roasted Garlic tomato sauce]
1 4-oz. can chopped green chiles
A good dash of balsamic vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
Red pepper chili flakes, to taste
Fresh chopped cilantro or parsley, to taste

8 free-range organic eggs

To serve:
Fresh goat or feta cheese, if desired

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, bring the broth to a high simmer and pour the cornmeal into the simmering broth in an even, steady stream, whisking as you go. Keep stirring. This take a while. Hand the whisking job over to a willing and able assistant as you prepare the eggs. [Promise them chocolate, if you have to.]

Combine the Diablo Sauce ingredients in a deepish baking pan - I used a 10 x 13-inch pan. Place the pan in the oven for ten minutes to heat the sauce. In the meantime, give your assistant a break on whisking the polenta, or busy yourself with selecting appropriate brunch music. Cesaria Evora is a favorite here, by the way.

When you are about half way through the polenta process (around the 10 to 15 minute mark) pull the pan from the oven and crack the eggs- one at a time, preferably- into the simmering sauce. Place the pan back into the hot oven.

The hot and spicy sauce will poach the eggs. When cooking only four eggs, I will cook the eggs and sauce in a deep skillet (covered) on the stove, instead; I chose to bake them on this occasion because I was poaching 8 eggs at once.

When the polenta has thickened and is pulling away from the sides of the pot a bit, add in the shredded cheese and season with sea salt and pepper, to taste. Remove the pot from the heat.

Note: If all goes well, the eggs and polenta will be done at the same time. My polenta took a little longer than I anticipated, so my poached eggs turned out a little more solid than I like. I should have pulled the pan from the oven and kept the eggs on the stove top until the polenta was ready.

To serve:

Spoon a circle of polenta on each of four warmed serving plates. Spoon some Diavolo Sauce over each mound of polenta. Top with two poached eggs. If there is any remaining sauce, spoon a little extra on each plate. Crumble a little fresh goat or feta cheese on each serving, if desired.

Serves 4.

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