My mother made this dish for breakfast all the time when I was growing up. She used duck eggs whose deep yellow yolk when combined with the tomatoes gave the dish that distinctive rosy orange colour. In late summer, when tomatoes are in abundance, she would buy them by the bucketful and turn them into a sweet, tangy sauce that we would slather on anything – meat, chicken, fish – just like ketchup but in more generous quantities. But always she would set some of it aside for tomato scrambled eggs.

A botanical note. The Roma is that variety of  tomato which is shaped like a tear drop. It is the most common variety in the Philippines when I was a young boy. It is not the plump one whose image springs to mind whenever we think of tomatoes. I use Romas for this recipe because they are fleshy with just enough juice to keep the sauce thick and moist.

Ingredients

• 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 small onion, chopped (optional)
• 3 free range eggs (or duck eggs, if you can get them), beaten
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

How To Cook Tomato Scrambled Eggs

In a small pan, heat the olive oil over a medium flame. Sauté the garlic (and onions, if using) until soft.

Add the tomatoes and mash them to a pulp. Season with salt and pepper then cover the pan and allow the mixture to simmer over a low flame, stirring occasionally.

Once the mixture has achieved the consistency of a sauce, add the beaten eggs. Mix the eggs in with the tomato sauce stirring constantly until the eggs are gooey but not runny. Turn off the heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Enjoy with toast or fried rice and freshly brewed coffee.