Polenta, poached egg and vegetables Recipe (Serves 2)
Vegetables Ingredients
- Vegetables of your choice. I had carrots and cauliflowers in my fridge so I used them. You can also use broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes etc.
- 0.5 tsp of coarse black pepper
- 0.5 tsp of Italian leaves herb/ basil leaves
- Dash of Ground thyme or Dried rosemary. I add parsley or coriander leaves as well.
- 1 tbsp of Extra virgin oil
- 1-2 shallot and/or garlic, depending on own preference
Instructions
1. Cut the carrots into slices and cauliflowers into small florets. Wash them with salt water.
2. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add a dash of salt to the boiling water and add the vegetables. Boil for 10-15 minutes.
3. Remove the boiled vegetables from the pot and place them in a bowl.
4. Heat up the oil in a saucepan and add the shallot and garlic to stir fry for 3-4 minutes.
5. Add the vegetables and stir fry for 2 minutes before adding the coarse black pepper, dried Italian leaves herb/dried basil leaves herb, ground thyme or dried rosemary.
6. Serve up the cooked vegetables in two serving bowls.
Polenta Instructions
1. I usually prepare 80gms of polenta for 2 servings. I'm using Bob's Red Mill Polenta.
2. Follow the instructions on the packaging. For mine, it states to add water thrice of the polenta portion.
3. Add 240g of fresh milk or chicken stock or water or a mixture of all first to the saucepan and bring it to a boil.
4. Add polenta and stir it constantly for 10-15 minutes. Top up with extra water when required.
5. Dish up and separate into the two serving bowls and mix with vegetables above.
Note: I use 120g DIY prepared chicken stock and 120g fresh milk. The solution gets absorbed pretty quickly and I add in plain water and additional stock and milk along the way. Usually I just keep a close eye on it to make sure it does not dry up. The result should be a creamy polenta. You can also opt to add in some Parmesan cheese for extra flavour. I have added ricotta cheese before and it tastes just as good.
Poached Eggs Instructions
1. Prepare 2 fresh eggs. Add the egg to a measuring jar with water. If it sinks to the bottom, it is fresh. If it bobs up slightly, it is about a week old. I use my eggs bought one week back and I still managed to do a successful poached egg.
2. Bring a small shallow pot of water around 5cm height to boil.
3. Add a teaspoon of salt and two tablespoons of distilled white vinegar.
4. Prepare a bowl. Crack one egg into a mesh strainer and excess egg white will drip onto the bowl below.
5. Add the egg in the mesh strainer into the barely simmering water.
6. Stir around the egg with the slotted spoon to maintain the shape of the egg.
7. Remove the poached egg with the slotted spoon after 1.5 minutes for a runny yolk.
