Egg and bacon salad
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 4 Portobello mushrooms
- 8 rashers pancetta or streaky bacon
- 1 bunch baby asparagus
- Baby spinach leaves
- 2 cloves garlic
- Olive oil
- Butter
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- ½ lemon, juice only
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Remove stem from mushrooms. Rinse mushrooms and pat dry.
- Holding the tip and stem of each asparagus spear, snap the asparagus where it will naturally break. Discard the ends.
- Gently heat oil and butter and garlic in medium sized frying pan. Add the whole mushrooms and sauté for a few mins.
- Add the asparagus and cook for a further couple of mins. Remove from heat, discard the garlic and keep warm until ready to serve. Keep the butter and oil in pan for drizzling later.
- Meanwhile place bacon under hot grill and grill until crisp.
- Fill a medium saucepan two-thirds of the way with water. Add the white vinegar and bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat on the burner until the water simmers gently.
- Crack an egg into a small bowl.
- Swirl the water around in the pot creating a vortex and gently drop the egg into the centre.
- Cook the eggs for 3 to 4 mins. When done, the whites will be cooked through and the yolks still runny.
- Whilst eggs are cooking assemble the salad.
- Toss the spinach leaves with half of the lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt until coated. Add more lemon juice and oil if needed.
- Crumble bacon over salad.
- Place mushroom, cap side up on top of salad and using a slotted spoon, remove the eggs from the pan, gently blot on a tea towel to remove any excess water and immediately place 1 egg on each mushroom (it should sit nicely in cavity).
- Scatter a few spears of asparagus.
- Drizzle the reserved garlic flavoured oil and butter.
- Season with some freshly ground pepper and serve immediately with toasted, buttered bread.
