Poached Eggs & Sautéed Veggies

Kitty FloridoApril 20, 2020

This post is also available in / Esta entrada también está disponible en ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)

Why is it so difficult to master poached eggs? I’ve been following every single video, magazine, book, and advice… but honestly, until now I wasn’t able to get the results I wanted. After reading this article from food52 everything changed! This helped me understand two things: one, I was over complicating things; the second, even in a simple poached egg, you can play with the chemistry but it will mess up your recipe.

So here’s what I learned:

Salt: they change the egg whites’ consistency… Best to salt your eggs at the table.
Water swirl: Works for cooking one egg at the time, but honestly, it’s not necessary.
Skip the vinegar: Yes, it will firm up the whites, but they will cook faster than the yolks. On top of that, the color of the egg whites will be a bit opaque.
Straining the raw eggs: This to remove the whites (and yes, I’ve tried it), but it’s unnecessary. You can trim the weird-looking whites with the slotted spoon when you’re removing it from the water.

Here’s what you need:

Skillet or pot (with lid): enough to hold 1½ to 2-in. of water.
A large spoon (preferably slotted).
Clean dish towel or folded paper towel to blot the excess water from the eggs.
And of course, the star of the dish: good eggs – the fresher, the better.

Now, you can’t just prep a poached egg and serve it plain. Ok, you could but why not dress it up? As usual, we’re trying to make the best use of the ingredients we have available. In my case, I had plenty of spinach, mushrooms, and onion. Top ir off with a splash of sriracha or Tabasco and you’re done.

Kitty

Poached Eggs & Sautéed Veggies

A Foodies’ Kitchen original recipe
Serves: 1

Ingredients:
1 fresh egg, cold
¼ onion, diced
1 small garlic, minced
½ cup of diced mushrooms
2 handfuls of spinach, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Hot sauce, to serve

Directions, for poached eggs:

Fill your pot or skillet with 1 ½-in. of water, and heat it until it’s gently simmering.
Crack your cold egg into a ramekin or a small cup, and working close to the water, slip the egg into the water. If you’re doing more than one egg, place them around the pan clockwise (starting at 12 o’clock), so you know which eggs are the first you’ll be removing.
When the eggs are in, cover the pot and turn off the heat. Set a timer from 3 to 5 minutes (I like mine done in 4 minutes so the yolk is still runny and the egg whites are throughly cooked).
Slip the slotted spoon under the egg (first egg, in case of many) and lift it slightly. Using the edges of your pot, scoop the egg out. You can trim the egg white ragged edges by pressing the edge spoon to the side of the pot, or run a knife around the spoon edges. Honestly the first option is the easiest – if the eggs are fresh, you’ll have less ragged edges to trim.
Rest the spoon in the folded dish towel, tilting it as you need to blot excess liquid from the egg before serving. Season with salt and pepper.

Directions, for sautéed veggies:

Heat your skillet, and drizzle a bit of olive oil.
Sauté the onions, until they are translucent. Add the minced garlic and continue cooking until they turn golden brown. Season with salt.
Add the mushrooms, cook for about 3 minutes. Add the spinach, and cook down for about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the sautéed veggies on a plate and top with your poached egg. And a few drops of hot sauce and enjoy.

Have you made this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture with the hashtag #thefoodieskitchen

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