It was a lazy day and nearly time for dinner when I realized I had nearly nothing in the house to eat.
We had previously devoured the leftovers so I needed to figure out a cheap simple meal with what was at hand, and when that happens, I often turn to eggs.
It seems we always have eggs in the house.

I remembered a recipe I recently found in the cookbook "Italy, the Vegetarian Table" by Julia Della Croce and as luck would have it,
I found a can of tomatoes with tomato puree and a can of tomato paste in the pantry. Dinner would be on the table soon.

1 can (28 ounces) PLUM TOMATOES IN PUREE
2 Tbsp. EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
1 large CLOVE GARLIC, finely chopped
1 small ONION, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. TOMATO PASTE
Several leaves of fresh BASIL, coarsely chopped (I substituted a sprinkling of dried basil)
SALT
Freshly ground BLACK PEPPER
4 EGGS

Rustic country loaf of ITALIAN BREAD, sliced
GARLIC CLOVE, peeled and halved
EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

Pass the tomatoes and their purée through a food mill or a sieve. Set aside.

Combine the olive oil, garlic, and onion in the cold skillet and place over low heat.
Stir, cover and then cook gently until the garlic and onion are wilted, about 3 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and stir in.
Now stir in the sieved tomatoes, basil and salt and pepper to taste.Simmer gently uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.
The sauce should be thick, not watery.
If the sauce is thin, simmer uncovered for a little longer.

Now proceed in one of two ways:

Crack each of the eggs in a cup or small bowl first, to be sure the yolk is intact, and slip each directly into the simmering sauce.
Try to do this quickly so the eggs will all go in at about the same time.
Immediately cover the pan and continue to simmer gently 2 or 3 minutes or until a white skin forms over the yolks.
Be sure not ot overcook the eggs, or the yolks will be hard.

Transfer the eggs and the sauce to individual plates.

*Alternatively, first poach the eggs in an egg poacher, then cover them with the sauce when you have transferred them to individual plates. (To my mind, this makes for a better presentation).

Serve the eggs immediately with the bruschetta.

Toast the bread. Rub cut garlic over each piece of bread and drizzle with some olive oil.

Serves 2