Ingredients
Serves 4
Poached Eggs (see below)
800g baby spinach leaves
30ml olive oil
Pinch of salt
Pinch of nutmeg
Squeeze of lemon
50g butter
1 loaf parmesan bread (see below)
50g Grana Padano parmesan, grated
100g Parmigiano Reggiano, shaved
50ml extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Poached Eggs
1.5 Litres of water
A pinch of salt
300ml white wine vinegar
Free-range organic eggs, cracked into cups
500 ml of iced water
Parmesan Bread
Makes 2 x 400 g loaves
250 ml milk
½ garlic clove, grated
225g Grana Padano parmesan, grated
1 tablespoon of yeast
325 g high-grade plain flour for baking
1 teaspoon salt
Additional handful of plain flour
Additional Grana Padano parmesan, grated
1 egg yolk, beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Boil the water in a large saucepan then add salt and vinegar.
Reduce heat to a simmer and gently stir the water. Working reasonably fast, while stirring gently, hold a cup as close to the water as possible and tip the egg into the mixture; watch it travel around with the momentum of your stir. Quickly add another and so on until all eggs are in the pan. This stops the eggs from sticking to each other, while using the large pan ensures the distribution of egg white in minimal.
After 4 minutes, remove eggs with a perforated spoon; they should be elastic to the touch and the whites cooked. Reserve the cooking liquid. Drop eggs into iced water – this ensures they stop cooking immediately while remaining slightly undercooked. Once cool, remove and trim off any excess white. You can cook the eggs up to 48hrs before you need to use them.
Just before serving, simply drop the eggs back into the simmering, seasoned water for 30 seconds or so to cook through.
Prepare poached eggs and set aside. Warm by reheating in their cooking liquid just before serving.
Wash the spinach, removing stalks if necessary, and drain very well.
Heat the olive oil over a low heat in a saucepan that has a tight-fitting lid. Add the washed spinach and salt, nutmeg and lemon juice. Put the lid on and cook for 2 minutes until the spinach is wilted. Drain the spinach into a colander and squeeze dry. Return the spinach to the pan with the butter and keep warm with the lid on.
Preheat the grill. Cut 4 slices of parmesan bread and put under the grill. When toasted on one side, flip each slice over, butter the untoasted side and sprinkle with Grana Padano parmesan. Toast under the grill until golden-brown and the cheese begins to melt.
Put a slice of toast on each serving plate, top with spinach, a poached egg and Parmigiano Reggiano, then drizzle with the extra-virgin olive oil. Top with a generous grinding of black pepper.
Parmesan Bread
Warm milk in a medium-sized saucepan, ensuring it does not boil. Add the garlic and stir in half the Grana Padano. Once the cheese has melted, remove from the heat, cool to just above room temperature and add yeast. Combine milk with flour, salt and remaining cheese and mix to a smooth dough, using a food processor with a dough hook, if available. Put dough in a bowl and leave to prove in a warm area, covered with a damp cloth, for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 160°C.
Once dough has proved, knead by hand with additional flour and 25g of Grana Padano, brush with beaten yolk and sprinkle the tops with a small handful of grated Grana Padano and a little seasoning. Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes.
(From Paul Wilson's cookbook Botanical.)