A clean, easy and gourmet breakfast – Poached eggs on a bed of baby spinach, asparagus, bacon and mushrooms

A lazy Sunday morning isn’t complete without a breakfast that has a little more tender loving care than the weekly run of the mill, Vegemite on toast. You might remember one of my old favourites here. I’ve been avoiding poached eggs for a while now, so I thought it was time to tackle it and get creative with what was in the fridge.

You’ll need: 

– Four eggs at room temperature

– tsp salt

– 2 tsp white vinegar

– 3 rashers of bacon, diced

– 3 medium mushrooms, chopped

– 1 onion, chopped

– baby spinach leaves

– 1 bunch asparagus

Method:

Poach the eggs (Eggs Method via Taste.com.au)

1.  Working with 1 egg at a time, crack an egg on to a saucer. Fill a wide saucepan with water until approximately 8cm deep. Add vinegar and 1 tsp salt. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low-medium – water should be just simmering, with small bubbles rising from the base of pan and small ripples across the top of the water.

2. Fill a bowl with cold water and set aside. Using a wooden spoon or whisk, stir simmering water in one direction to create a whirlpool (this will help to give your poached eggs a neat shape).

3. Slide egg from saucer into centre of whirlpool, as close to water as possible. Cook for 2-3 minutes for a semi-soft yolk or 3-4 minutes for a firm-set yolk, without stirring.

4. Using a slotted spoon, transfer egg to the bowl of cold water (this stops the cooking process). Remove and drain on a plate lined with paper towels. During and between cooking eggs, use slotted spoon to skim any foam from water surface. Repeat with remaining eggs.

Fry the mixed bed:

1. Fry onion and bacon in a pan on a medium heath until onion is soft and brown.

2. Add the mushrooms and asparagus and saute for a minute or until soft.

3. Set mixture aside.

3. In warm pan wilt the baby spinach (but only for 30 sec – a min just to soften them).

4. Place baby spinach as bed, sprinkle over mixture and top with eggs. (To reheat eggs, bring a clean pan of water to the boil then remove from heat. Add eggs. Stand, covered, for 1 minute. Remove and drain on a plate lined with paper towels.)

5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

You can serve this on toast or muffins if you prefer, that’s how Reis likes his.

Serve with coffee (a great way to start any morning) and enjoy!

Have a lovely Sunday.