i8tonite with Minnesota’s Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs

MN SF All You Can Drink Milk, Poutine, Frozen Custard. i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs

i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached EggsMinnesota-born-and-bred writer Amy Rea loves food, and she loves the Minnesota State Fair. Fortunately for her, the two are combined each year, as the Fair offers up wildly creative (and sometimes wildly disgusting) new foods. Oh, and part of her writing work involves going with a crew from the food site Heavy Table to the first day of the Fair to try all the new foods, then report on them. Tough job, but someone’s gotta do it. And, as any Minnesotan will tell you, the State Fair is a Big Deal. See that smile on her face? That’s  the joy of good fair food.

MN SF Buffalo Chicken in a Waffle Cone Topped w Sausage Gravy. From i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs
MN SF Buffalo Chicken in a Waffle Cone Topped w Sausage Gravy

Amy is the author of three guidebooks to Minnesota, and she blogs about Minnesota travel at wcco.com/wandermn and writes about Minnesota food at heavytable.com. She lives in a quiet suburb with her husband and their elderly, neurotic border collie, and lives for the times when her 20-somethings sons come to visit so she can cook for them. In between visits, her food writing draws me in every time. My favorite is her article about a traditional Ethopian coffee ceremony held locally – I love the diversity of people and food in the state, and she explores those so well in her writing.

MN SF Spam Sushi. From i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs
MN SF Spam Sushi

Take a look at all these Minnesota State Fair goodies – which would you pick? Thanks to Amy and Heavy Table’s hard work, we can narrow our options down when we hit the fair next summer. Thank you for this visual tour!

2016 Minnesota State Fair New Food Review from Save The BWCA on Vimeo.

Food People Questionnaire (with a nod to Proust):

What is your favorite food to cook at home?
Hash. Such a great way to use leftovers.

MN SF Cracker Jack Sundae. From i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs
MN SF Cracker Jack Sundae

What do you always have in your fridge at home?
Butter, fresh herbs, eggs, pickles, leftovers.

MN State Fair Pronto Pups. From i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs

What marked characteristic do you love in a person with whom you are sharing a meal?
Someone who truly enjoys food and cares about it.

MN SF Salem Lutheran Dining Hall. From i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs
MN SF Salem Lutheran Dining Hall

What marked characteristic do you find unappealing in a person with whom you are sharing a meal?
Someone who goes to a well-regarded restaurant and orders a salad with the dressing on the side, eats half of it, and says Oh, I’m so full. Life is short. If you’re at a good eatery, enjoy it. You can skimp on calories somewhere else.

MN SF Sweet Martha's Cookies. From i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs
MN SF Sweet Martha’s Cookies

Beer, wine, or cocktail?
Yes.

MN SF Sangria Beer with Iced Sangria on Top. From i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs
MN SF Sangria Beer with Iced Sangria on Top

Your favorite cookbook author?
Lynne Rossetto Kasper.

MN SF Grape Contest. From i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs
MN SF Grape Contest

Your favorite kitchen tool?
My Microplanes (although my new Instant Pot is creeping up the ladder of my affection).

MN State Fair Maple Syrup and Vinegar Contests. From i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs
MN State Fair Maple Syrup and Vinegar Contests

Favorite types of cuisine to cook?
American, Italian.

MN SF Craft Beer Hall. From i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs
MN SF Craft Beer Hall

Beef, chicken, pork, or tofu?
Pork. Also, salmon.

MN SF Fried Pickles and Cream Puffs. From i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs
MN SF Fried Pickles and Cream Puffs

Favorite vegetable?
A tie between summer tomatoes and Romanesco cauliflower.

MN SF Fried Green Tomatoes. From i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs
MN SF Fried Green Tomatoes

Chef you most admire?
Julia Child.

Food you like the most to eat?
Pasta.

MN SF Turkey Legs Pork Chops on a Stick. From i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs
MN SF Turkey Legs Pork Chops on a Stick

Food you dislike the most?
Beets.

What is your favorite non-food thing to do?
Hang out with my family, read, write, hike.

MN SF Princess Kay of the Milky Way Butter Carving in Process. From i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs
MN SF Princess Kay of the Milky Way Butter Carving in Process

Who do you most admire in food?
Anthony Bourdain.

Where is your favorite place to eat?
At home. Or a greasy spoon. Or someplace that’s authentically ethnic.

MN SF Oof-Da Tacos. From i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs
MN SF Oof-Da Tacos

What is your favorite restaurant?
Just one?? Masu, Bulldog NE, Ettlin’s Café, Quang Vietnamese.

MN SF Prince Themed Crop Art. From i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs
MN SF Prince Themed Crop Art

Do you have any tattoos? And if so, how many are of food?
No, but if I did, most of them would be food-related.

MN SF Bridgeman's La La Palooza Sundae. i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs
MN SF Bridgeman’s La La Palooza Sundae

Tomato-Poached Eggs Recipe

This is something I learned from a friend on Twitter, and there are nearly countless ways to customize it. It’s especially fabulous when there are tomatoes at the farmer’s market.

. From i8tonite with Minnesota's Heavy Table Writer Amy Rea & Recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs
Tomato-Poached Eggs

To serve 2:
Take a couple good-sized tomatoes (heirloom or standard slicers) and dice them (you don’t need to peel them, although you can if you want). Place them in a nonstick skillet with a couple of teaspoons of water. Heat over medium high until the tomato pieces begin to release their juices and bubble. Crack 4 eggs into the tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, and cover and cook the eggs to your desired doneness. Serve over polenta.

I’ve added various kinds of cheese and herbs to this, and put it over different kinds of grains (quinoa is good too), and it’s always delicious. But when tomatoes are at their best, I like to just let them shine here.

 

– The End. Go Eat. – 

 

 

All photos courtesy and copyright Amy Rea/Heavy Table

 

 

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