Fried Eggs à la Portugaise

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small lidded saucepan for the rice
• •Rimmed baking sheet
• •Wide 10-inch (25 cm) sauté pan
• •Deep 6-inch (15 to 16 cm) saucepan for frying
• •Clip-on frying thermometer
• •Slotted spoon and wire draining rack
• •Large round serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the rice

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C), with a rack in the center. Combine the rinsed rice, water, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, cover tightly, and cook over the lowest heat for 13 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave it covered for 5 minutes, then fork through 1 tablespoon of the butter. The grains should be tender and separate, not wet; if they remain firm, add 1 tablespoon of water, cover, and return them to low heat for 3 minutes.

2. 2

   Half-bake the tomatoes

   Cut the four large tomatoes in half across their equators. Scoop out the seeds and loose pulp without piercing the walls, then arrange the halves cut-side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and brush it over the interiors. Season with ½ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, just until the flesh yields at the rim while each half still stands firmly. Pour away any juice collected inside.

   These are supports, not collapsing baked tomatoes. If one half slumps, ça se rattrape: nestle it in a lightly buttered ramekin for the final warming, and take the remaining halves out before they soften further.
3. 3

   Stuff and warm

   Divide the buttered rice among the half-baked tomatoes, using about 3 tablespoons per half and mounding it without pressing it into paste. Return the filled tomatoes to the oven for 6 to 8 minutes, until the rice is hot and the cases are tender but intact. Turn off the oven, open its door slightly, and hold the tomatoes there no longer than 15 minutes while you finish the center and eggs.

4. 4

   Concass and sauté

   Concass the four medium tomatoes, meaning chop them roughly after coring and seeding. Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a wide sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Sauté for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring and tossing until their released liquid has cooked away and the pieces are tender, bright, and glossy but still recognizable. If the pan looks watery, widen the heat and keep moving the tomatoes; flour does not belong here.

5. 5

   Fry the eggs

   Pour the oil into a small, deep 6-inch (15 to 16 cm) saucepan and heat it to 350°F (175°C). Crack one egg into a dry cup, then slide it close to the oil’s surface. With two heatproof spoons, gently draw the setting white around the yolk so the egg becomes compact. Fry for 45 to 60 seconds, until the outside is set and faintly golden while the yolk remains soft. Lift it out with a slotted spoon, drain on a wire rack, and season lightly. Repeat with the remaining eggs, allowing the oil to return to temperature each time.

   If the white spreads into pale threads, the oil is too cool. Lift out the wisps and let the temperature recover. If the egg browns before the white gathers, pull the pan off the heat briefly. Ça se rattrape. Keep the oil between 340°F and 360°F (170°C and 182°C), and never drop an egg from a height.
6. 6

   Build the circle

   Arrange the eight rice-filled tomato halves in a circle on a warm round platter. Set one œuf frit on each half, then spoon the hot tomato concassé into the center. Serve immediately, while the whites are crisp at their edges, the yolks are soft, and the butter still gleams across the tomatoes. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose firm, broad tomatoes for the cases and riper ones for the concassé. The first must hold an egg; the second must surrender its juices to the butter. One tomato asked to do both jobs usually does neither well.
• •When fresh tomatoes are poor, keep firm greenhouse tomatoes for the cases and use 1½ cups (360 ml / about 340 g) drained whole canned tomatoes for the center. Canned tomatoes cannot become the supporting halves, but they make an honest concassé.
• •Very fresh eggs have compact whites and are much easier to gather around their yolks in the oil. If serving soft yolks to anyone who needs to avoid undercooked egg, use pasteurized shell eggs.
• •Let the frying oil cool completely, strain it through a fine sieve, and keep it covered for another savory fry. The egg contributes little flavor to it, and good oil need not be wasted.
• •For supper, serve the platter with crisp bread and a plainly dressed green salad. A brisk dry white wine suits the butter, tomato, and soft yolks better than a heavy red.

Advance Preparation

• •The rice can be cooked up to one day ahead, cooled promptly, and chilled. Reheat it covered with 1 tablespoon of water before mixing in the butter and filling the tomatoes.
• •The tomato cases can be half-baked up to 1 hour before service and held uncovered. Stuff and warm them only when the concassé ingredients are ready.
• •The concassé can be sautéed several hours ahead and reheated gently with a teaspoon of water. Fry the eggs only at the last moment; that final timing is the dish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 420g)