maandag 25 november 2013

Warm Spicy Greens with Bacon and Eggs

Makes: 4 Servings

Time: About 30 minutes

The salad for meat-eaters.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
About 1/2 pound of the best slab bacon you can find or pancetta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 small shallot, chopped
4 cups torn dandelion or other bitter greens, like mustard or turnip greens, watercress, or frisée
About 1/4 cup top-quality red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 poached eggs, or peeled Medium-Boiled Eggs (see recipe below)

1. Put the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the bacon and cook slowly until it’s crisp all over, 10 minutes or more. Add the shallot and cook until softened, another minute or two. Keep the bacon warm in the skillet.

2. Warm a salad bowl by filling it with hot water and letting it sit for a minute. Dry it and toss in the greens. Add the vinegar and mustard to the skillet and bring just to a boil, stirring. Pour the liquid and the bacon over the greens, toss, and season to taste (it shouldn’t need much salt). Top each portion with an egg and serve immediately.

For Warm Spinach Salad with Bacon and Eggs: Substitute tender spinach leaves for the dandelion greens.

For Salade Lyonnaise: The French classic. Use frisée for the greens. Skip warming the salad bowl and boiling the vinaigrette in Step 2. Toss the greens in the vinaigrette and serve immediately.

For a BLT Salad: Omit the shallots, if you like, and the eggs. Substitute any lettuce or salad greens for the dandelion; add 2 large ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped, and 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese. Let the bacon cool in the pan after it’s cooked. For Step 2, stir the vinegar and mustard in with the bacon, then pour over the lettuce, tomatoes, and blue cheese in an unheated bowl; serve immediately.

Medium-Boiled Egg

Makes: 1 serving
Time: About 10 minutes

These are easier than poached eggs and about the same texture; when done, the white is firm and the yolk runny. You can even reheat them after shelling by dipping them in simmering water for about 30 seconds.

Ingredients:
1 egg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Fill a saucepan about two-thirds full of water and bring it to a gentle boil.

2. Use a spoon or some other handy tool to lower the egg into the gently boiling water. Adjust the heat so the water barely simmers, then cook for 6 to 7 minutes; the shorter time guarantees a cooked but runny yolk, but there may be some undercooked white. With the longer time, the white will be fully cooked, but some of the yolk may have hardened. Try it both ways and see which you prefer.

3. To remove the shell, put the pot under cold running water for 30 to 60 seconds, then crack and peel gently, as you would a hard-cooked egg (but more carefully). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

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