Potato and Roast Garlic Soup is a simple recipe, yet quite refined. Ideal as a starter for a dinner party or served in expresso cups as a pre-starter. Its rich, smooth consistency, offset by serving the soup with parsley pesto is always a winner!
Braised Oxtail is my idea of heaven on a cold winter’s day. So, with the frost on the ground and minus five on the thermometer I decided the time was right to get cooking.
For me Braised Oxtail is the pinnacle of meat eating. Its not difficult to cook, but it does take a little time. If the idea of having the oven on for such a long cook, use a slow cooker to do most of the cooking.
Something a little different here. A quick kale, egg, and bacon supper, a warming winter supper dish of with a hint of garlic and chilli to provide a little kick. This has been built around kale from the garden. Its one of the hardier veg and survived the feast of wind and rain we have experienced of late.
Its reasonably healthy meal with most of the fat cooked out of the bacon and topped off with a poached egg. Of course you could also use a fried egg if poaching is too much of a challenge. But read on, it’s easier than you think.
This is one of my fall-back suppers if Mrs W is working late, and I’m home alone for dinner. To make things even simpler you can poach the eggs ahead of time and warm them up when you are ready. This is a great dodge and widespread practice in kitchens for breakfast or if poached eggs are required for a menu dish. So even if you’re not a fan of kale is worth reading on to improve your skills and become a master of the poached egg.
Serves 1
85g picked kale, well washed and dried
1 clove of garlic
1 small red chilli
olive oil
2-3 tbsp distilled vinegar
Dash lemon juice
4 rashers thinly sliced dry cure streaky bacon (pancetta)
Mill pepper
Sea salt
How to Poach Eggs.
As a child I have fond memories of the metal egg poachers, they produced a kind of egg igloo which was dropped on toast. They were kind of ok, but useless to top off a nice salad or produce Eggs Benedict for brunch.
Weather you choose to poach your eggs when needed or ahead of time it’s up to you. But whatever you choose it’s a two-stage process. You will need an espresso cup or similar, a bowl for some iced water with a perforated spoon. Make sure your pan is deep enough to allow the egg to have formed a skin before it hits the bottom of the pan, about 15cm should be fine. Equally the top of the pan should be wide enough to allow the rim of the espresso cup to sit in the centre of the water when the egg is added.
Fill the pan with fresh water to about 3cm from the top, but do not add salt. Salt will begin to break down the white and spoil the shape of the egg. Add the vinegar to the water and put on the heat to come to the boil.
Its actually a simple process to poach eggs and there is one simple trick – fresh eggs. Have a look at the Food Files page All you need to know about- Eggs to understand why freshness is so important.
Crack your first egg into the espresso cup and fill the bowl with cold water and a few ice cubes leaving enough space to take the cooked eggs.
When the pan comes to the boil, turn down the heat to very low and grab the perforated spoon. Stir the water vigorously to create a whirlpool in the centre of the water. Pick up the expresso cup and lower the cup into the water ensuring the rim of the cup is directly in the centre of the whirlpool. Hold the cup in the water for three or four seconds then gently tip the egg into the water holding the cup in place. You should see a string of egg white from the cup holding the egg in place and the egg itself sitting in the centre of the water. The egg is been held in place by the circulating current of water. It’s important that there are no bubbles forming in the water or the movement will spoil the shape of the egg.
Let the egg cook for about four to five minutes then gently lift the egg from the water with the slotted spoon. If it looks like it’s going to collapse return it to the water for another minute.
As soon as its ready lift the egg into the iced water, this will stop the cooking and wash off any vinegar. Repeat the process if needed and with practice you will be able to poach two eggs at once.
Pop the egg to one side if you are going to use them within an hour or so but make sure the water has not warmed up, (you may need to add another couple of ice cubes). If you are making the eggs for later use, again check the water is cold then cover them and place the bowl containing the eggs into the fridge. When you are ready to serve the eggs fill a clean pan with fresh water and add some salt, (it can’t damage the egg white now that its set).
To finish off our supper you will need a deep sided frying pan, I’m using a stainless sauté pan which is also suitable for frying.
Thinly slice the garlic and the chilli. How much chilli you like is up to you I use about four to five slices if you don’t like it too hot remove the seeds of the chilli.
Heat the pan and add the oil as soon as the oil is hot lay the bacon in the pan and cook over a medium heat. The aim to cook the bacon crisp so don’t have the pan too high or it will simply brown without crisping. Turn the bacon regularly to even up the cooking and when brown and crispy lift the rashers out of the pan onto kitchen paper to absorb the fat.
Remove 80% of the remaining fat from the pan which should have a deep golden coating of flavour from the bacon. Turn down the heat a little and add the garlic, fry steadily for two to three minutes but do not let the garlic burn or it will be ruined.
Your poached egg/s can now be lifted from the bowl into the pan of hot water which should be at no more than a low simmer.
Turn up the heat under the bacon pan and add the kale to the pan closely followed by the chilli, salt, and pepper.
Stir fry the kale until cooked and wilted but don’t cook it right down to a soggy mess. Adding a small amount of water from the egg pan from time to time will help cook the kale without frying it and will also help lift the flavour from the base of the pan into the kale.
Finish the kale with a couple of drops of lemon juice check the seasoning the lift the kale into the centre of a plate and set the finished egg on top. Lay two rashes of bacon on the egg with a twist of pepper then break up the remaining bacon and scatter it around the kale with any cooking juices or a drop of olive oil as you wish.
I must say my poached egg is not one of my best efforts. Been a one man band, I am, Chef, Home Economist, Food Stylist and Photographer all in one. This meant my egg was standing by a little too long and became too firm. You should aim for a runnier yolk which will form a second sauce mixed in with the kale.
Give the dish a try, and by all means ring the changes. I have done this with picante Chorizo sausage instead of bacon. Works very well if you like a bit more spice. And even if kale is not your cup of tea, do practice your egg poaching.
Enjoy life!
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
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