I often make poached eggs for dinner. One of the things I have learned from traveling is that having eggs for breakfast is pretty much a north American thing. This isn't to say that we shouldn't enjoy our eggs at breakfast, but, that we can enjoy them at different meals!
In middle eastern cooking having eggs for dinner is common. Shakshuka (which is one of our favorites- you can find my recipe for it here), is a staple.
Polenta
Polenta frequents our dinners pretty regularly. It is so quick, especially instant polenta (which is still delicious). We are incorporating more green into our diet, especially when we are having carbs as a main aspect of our meal. Every so often for dinner we have polenta, a crispy kale, and poached eggs topped with a goat cheese sauce. You feel all warm and fuzzy due to all of the amazing umami flavor that occurs with each and every bite.
The dinner on the day before Valentine's Day we had this. I woke up on Valentine's and knew that we had leftover polenta in the fridge. I wanted to step up our brunch game in order to celebrate the day! It is eye catching when colors pop on a plate. The color most associated with Valentine's is of course red (or some variant of it). I took a bottle of red wine, put it on the stove, mixed it with 4 cups of water, 1 bay leaf, and a few thyme sprigs. I decided to up my poaching game.
The color it gives the eggs is so cool! It adds a whole new tangy element to the dish, and sort of makes your eggs look like a real life heart. So, even if it is no longer Valentine's Day and you just want to spruce up your brunch game a bit, I've got you covered.
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Poached Eggs, Kale, and Polenta
Ingredients
- 1 Bottle Red Wine (I used Cabernet )
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 3 Thyme Sprigs
- 4 cups Water
- Polenta (Really as much as you want. I often use instant because it is so quick. )
- Kale (As much as you want)
- 1.5 cups Gruyere Cheese
- 3 TBSP Olive Oil (To fry kale)
- Red Pepper Flakes (To your Taste)
- 2.5 cup Milk (I use 2%)
- Parmesan Cheese (Optional)
- Salt (To taste)
- Pepper (To taste )
- 2 Eggs (Per person you are serving (so 2 people = 4 eggs). )
- 1 tablespoon Butter
Instructions
- I think the best thing to start with is boiling the wine. Boil your wine, add the bay leaf, and thyme. Once it is boiled, take your egg (which should be in a ramekin or small bowl). Take a spoon once the wine is boiled, and make a whirlpool in the wine. Once it is established, lower your egg into the wine directly in the center. Cook each egg for 3 minutes. I think to remove them and place them on a paper towel so it absorbs the leftover juice.
- In a frying pan, while your eggs are poaching, heat up your olive oil. Add your kale once the oil is hot, and add your red pepper flakes. Put a lid on the pan with the kale. Fry for just a few minutes. You want the kale to be crisp, not wilted.
- Once your kale is done, remove to the side.
- In a pot, warm up your milk. Once the milk is boiled, add your polenta (you may need to adjust how much milk you use based on how much polenta you use. I usually use 1 cup of polenta, and around 2.5 cups of milk).
- Once you add your polenta to your boiled milk, remove from heat immediately. Add your cheese, salt, and butter. You can adjust the salt and cheese to your taste. Add parmesan now as well.
- To assemble, place polenta on the bottom, kale on the polenta, and eggs on top.
- Serve immediately, and enjoy.
- Category: Breakfast, Main Course
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
That sounds like such a good combination! I hardly ever think to make polenta, so I need to change that!
siftrva says
I'm glad this inspired you! Polenta is delicious and honestly so easy to make!