gochujang eggs in purgatory

It’s two months of A Common Table giveaways!  From now until December, I’ll be sharing a recipe from the cookbook here and holding a giveaway of one of my favorite kitchen treasures used in the book every week on Instagram, and you’ll have a week to enter before the winner is announced, along with a new giveaway. 

When I was picking which recipe to share with you this week using the item in this week’s giveaway, I nearly couldn’t decide because I had so many choices.  A Lodge cast iron skillet is the backbone of so many dishes in my kitchen–from perfect golden pancakes to the crispest-edged bindaetteok, gently browned grilled cheeses to steaks with the perfect crust, to soft, gooey cinnamon rolls–that I feel like it might be on every page.  But with the weather cooling down and cozy vibes abounding, these eggs, warm and comforting with a subtle heat, ended up the only logical choice.

Before shakshuka made it into my kitchen—probably through Molly!–tomatoes and eggs had never cozied up together on my plate except in my mother’s Chinese eggs and tomatoes.  But eggs become extraordinary when coddled in a spicy tomato sauce and baked until wobbly in the center but firm on the edges.  Hearty, flavorful, and filling, yet simple and even kind of light, it’s the stuff that lazy brunch or even weeknight dinner dreams are made of.  This version is based on “eggs in purgatory,” an Italian cousin to shakshuka, but the heat in the tomato sauce comes from my favorite Korean condiment, gochujang.  The sweet, smoky spice turns out to be an ideal match for bright tomato sauce, with a touch of fermented tang that blends seamlessly into the tartness of the tomatoes; you’d never guess it was there amid the parsley and Parmesan, except for the subtle, addictive depth of flavor that makes it the perfect unexpected addition.

Pop over to my Instagram to enter the giveaway for one 10.25-inch Lodge cast iron skillet like the one used for these eggs (and a million other things in A Common Table) and a signed copy of the book!  The giveaway ends next Friday, November 2 at 12:00am.