I first read this recipe in the February/March issue of ReadyMade. Taken from M.F.K. Fisher‘s book “The Art of Eating”, “Eggs in Hell” is a fanciful name for a dish that’s equal parts thrifty and delicious. Fisher created the recipe during World War II, when rationing meant getting creative with meals. So the ingredients are simple and inexpensive — a can of tomato sauce, an onion, a garlic clove, some basil or Italian herbs to taste, and eggs, served over bread. (Fisher also suggested a little parmesan cheese sprinkled on top “if you can get it.”)

Two of my favorite things to eat are eggs and marinara, so I was itching to give this one a try. The results were amazingly tasty — for a new cook like myself, it’s a revelation how good tomatoes and onions can be (I also added about a cup of fresh spinach). My one caveat is, though Eggs in Hell (which I’ve made twice now) hasn’t tasted overly onion-y at all, you do get a lot of chunks of onion in every bite. So if you aren’t a big onion fan, I’d suggest cutting back on them a bit and adding some chunky tomatoes to the mix. I cooked the eggs in the sauce about ten minutes as suggested, and they were just about hard-cooked, so maybe eight minutes if you like your eggs over-easy style. And actually, I found the marinara so tasty, this would be a good recipe over pasta with no eggs at all. Get the recipe online at the Washington Post. –Mary T.