2cupsof good quality tomato sauceOR a small chopped onion, a small rib of celery, diced finely, and 2 cups canned or fresh plum tomatoes, chopped or crushed
A few stalks fresh parsley
½teaspoonchili flakes
4eggs
salt and pepper
Instructions
If you are using dried beans, soak them in plenty of cold water for at least eight hours or overnight. Drain the soaked beans, put them back in a heavy saucepan with one bayleaf, cover by at least two inches with fresh water, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook the beans for one hour, add a pinch of salt, and then begin checking for doneness. Once the beans are cooked, pull them from the heat and leave in their cooking water.
If you are using fresh beans, shell them and then boil them in salted water with one bay leaf until tender, about 25 minutes.
Drain the water from the beans, but keep the broth for later.
If using ready-made tomato sauce, add 2 cups of tomato sauce to pan.
If making your own tomato sauce, heat olive oil in a deep saute pan and add the onion and celery and saute over a gentle flame until onion is soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes. Stir and season with parsley, chili, salt and pepper and leave the pan simmering for 15 minutes. Add the drained beans, stir and cook for another 10 minutes, adding a little of the bean broth if nesseary.
Create little nests in the sauce and crack the eggs, as you would do for shakshuka. Stir the eggs and the sauce gently if you prefer your eggs scrambled, or let them cook in the nests for whole eggs. Cook for 7 minutes on low-medium heat, until eggs are as set as you like them.
Check seasoning. Allow the beans to sit for 10 minutes (or for hours) or so before serving - though if you can wait, let the beans and sauce rest a day (but eat the eggs as soon as you can).