Recipe: Tomato Egg Nests with Spinach Bruschetta

Tomato Egg Nests with Spinach Bruschetta

ENJOYING EGGS
From The American Institute for Cancer Research
By Dana Jacobi

Eggs embody spring as we celebrate this season of renewal. They are featured playfully in the Easter Bunny's basket, profoundly in the rite of the Passover Seder, decoratively in the beautifully braided breads Greeks and Italians make for Easter and sumptuously in intricately hand-painted and bejeweled gifts exchanged in various countries of Eastern Europe.

Today's farming methods ignore the seasons and often make us forget how nature often times the arrival of foods that make perfect partners. In spring, when a hen's natural productivity traditionally increases as days lengthen and warm, eggs go splendidly with the tender spinach and sweet, thin asparagus that are among the earth's earliest offerings.

Lest you hesitate to enjoy an egg, even the American Heart Association (AHA) has had a change of heart regarding them. For healthy adults, the AHA suggests a limit of three or four egg yolks a week, provided your daily intake of cholesterol is below 300 milligrams (mg). Since the AHA has determined that one large egg yolk contains 213-220 mg of cholesterol, you can enjoy an egg if your diet does not exceed the total daily recommended cholesterol intake.

Delighted to take advantage of this, I treat egg yolks as a luxury or stretch them creatively. Sometimes I combine one egg, one or two whites and a cup of chopped fresh spinach leaves. Scrambled, this golden treat is tender, generously filling and delicious.

If eating high cholesterol foods is strictly off-limits, you can use cholesterol-free liquid egg substitutes. But don't discount using whites alone. Discard the yolks from three hard-cooked eggs, and you can make tuna salad that inexpensively stretches one can of fish twice as far. Whip a couple of whites into peaks, add a bit of sugar and bake them over sliced strawberries for an elegant, fat-free dessert. In sum, enjoy eggs as a sunny gift of spring.

Tomato Egg Nests with Spinach Bruschetta

4 medium vine tomatoes (2 3/4 inches), at room temperature (see Note)
4 large eggs (see Note)
2-3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 bunch flat-leaf spinach, stemmed, washed and dried
4 slices 3/4-inch thick bread (see Note), grilled or toasted
salt and freshly ground pepper

Set baking rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice tops off tomatoes. With large spoon, scoop out soft flesh and seeds, turning each tomato into cup-like shell. Break 1 egg into small cup. Slide egg into one tomato shell. Set shell on a baking sheet or large pie plate. Repeat with remaining tomato shells and eggs. Sprinkle some salt and one or two grinds of pepper over eggs. Bake until egg whites are softly set all the way through, (not runny), about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Saut garlic 1 minute, taking care not to let it color. Heap in spinach all at once. Stir with wooden spoon until leaves are coated with oil and wilted. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Turn spinach onto cutting board and chop coarsely.

To serve, spread a quarter of spinach over each slice of bread. Place one slice on each of 4 dinner plates. Using tongs or large spoons, set baked tomato on top of each spinach-topped bread slice. Serve immediately.

Note: Tomatoes and eggs must be at room temperature or tomatoes and egg yolks will overcook before egg whites are set. Use any broad, round or long peasant-style bread.

Makes 4 servings, each containing 211 calories and 9 grams of fat.