poached eggs with za’atar, baby spinach & bacon
There’s nothing quite like a lazy Sunday morning. Whether you’re nursing the effects of a big Saturday night or not, there’s something about Sunday that just begs for a restorative drink and some serious eggs and bacon followed by a good coffee and a leisurely browse through the Sunday paper. And if you can share it with someone you like, then so much the better.
The rhythm of a Sunday morning should flow like a gentle meandering stream. First up should be a replenishing drink. While an innocent orange juice can get the morning off to a fresh start, some mornings the only thing that’s going to do the trick is something a little stronger. Bring on the Bloody Mary.
Just take two tall glasses and throw in a few ice cubes. Splash in a decent lug of vodka and top up with V8 or tomato juice. Squeeze in some lemon juice and spice things up with Bloody Mary’s good friends Tabasco and worcestershire. Swirl with a celery stick and taste. Tweak to suit your preference, remembering to season well with salt and pepper. Then slowly sip as you flow into your egg preparation.
Man and woman cannot live on alcoholic tomato juice alone, although at times it is tempting to try. This brings us to the next ebb in the Sunday morning flow: bacon and eggs. And while this does require a little more thought and coordination than opening a packet of cereal, trust me it is well worth a few extra minutes away from the couch.
Preheat your grill and line with foil for some washing up minimisation. Lay on a few rashers of bacon and let them cook away while you get on with the eggs. Bring a large saucepan of water to a gentle simmer and season with salt and a little white vinegar.
Meanwhile pop a couple of slices of sourdough in the toaster and remember to turn your bacon.
Back to the eggs, using a spoon stir the water to create a little whirlpool and crack an egg into the centre. Allow it to whirl like a dervish for a couple of minutes then remove with a slotted spoon and drain. Repeat the eggy whirling dervish dance until you have two eggs per person.
Now the parts become a whole. Toast goes down first, covered with a colourful dose of baby spinach. Next player is the eggs which just need a dusting of pepper and spice in the form of za’atar to complete the stack. With bacon sitting prettily to the side, it’s time to get back into the stream of Sunday and share the fruits of your labour….all good things
an easy sunday morning for 2
V8 bloody mary
poached eggs with za’atar, baby spinach & bacon
V8 bloody mary
serves 2
V8 juice is predominantly tomato juice with some added carrot, celery, beetroot, parsley and watercress. I prefer the savoury notes of the extra vegetables to plain tomato juice but feel free to use whichever takes your fancy.
1/3C vodka
1C V8 juice
small handful ice cubes
1T lemon juice, to taste
dash Tabasco sauce, to taste
dash worcestershire sauce, to taste
2 small stalks celery, leaves attached to serve
Combine vodka and V8 juice and ice and add lemon juice, Tabasco and worcestershire sauces to taste. Season well with s&p. Divide between 2 glasses and garnish with celery stick. Serve and repeat as required.
poached eggs with za’atar, baby spinach & bacon
serves 2
While fried eggs are the more traditional accompaniment to bacon, poached make a lovely lighter change. Especially when teamed with some baby spinach for colour and za’atar for an exotic hint of spice.
3 rashers of bacon, halved
2T white vinegar
4 free range eggs at room temperature
2 slices sourdough bread, toasted
2 handfuls baby spinach, washed
2t za’atar*, optional
Cook bacon under a hot grill for 3-5 minutes on each side or until golden and crispy. Allow to drain on paper towel.
Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water, at least 10cm deep to a gentle simmer. Add vinegar and then stir the water with a spoon to create a small whirlpool. Break an egg into the centre of the whirlpool and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes until whites are solid but yolks still runny or to your taste. Use a slotted spoon to remove egg and drain briefly on paper towel. Repeat with remaining eggs one at a time.
Divide toast between 2 plates. Top each slice with spinach leaves and two poached eggs. Place bacon in a stack to the side of the plate and sprinkle za’atar, if using, over the eggs. Season well and serve to be eaten at a leisurely Sunday recovery pace.
* note: za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend consisting of dried thyme, toasted sesame seeds and sumac (a lemony flavoured burgundy coloured powder made from the crushed berries of the sumac tree). For a better definition check out Wikipedia.
This is my ideal morning any day of the week… granted I’m not the worlds biggest tomato juice fan, I’d normally stick to a nice freshly squeezed glass of orange juice, and follow it up with a double shot latte…
But the bacon and eggs trigger an instant pavlovian reaction… that viscous eggy goodness dripping down the sides of the plate is just devine…
Lovely work Jules.
Sounds like a wonderful way to start any weekend morning. As a Canadian, I have to express my partiality towards the Bloody Caesar, which is the same drink, but with Clamato (a tomato and clam juice blend) substituted for the V8 or tomato juice. It’s especially good with some fresh horseradish grated into it.
I love poached eggs, so the food looks delightful. I’ve never tried za’atar, but the combination of flavours sounds wonderful.
looks excellent. What better way to start the day. Poached eggs is luxurious and comforting at the same time. Yum..
Jules, your photos are to die for. You’ve made me hungry for breakfast… and it’s dinner time!! Vodka in v8 is the perfect hair of the dog, no?
Za’atar is not thyme. It is wild oregano.
I love za’atar on pita bread, pizza, labane, grilled chicken and fish. It is delicious. I also like fresh za’atar in salad.
Sounds delicious Jules. Would you use butter or marg on that sourdough toast of yours?
Cheers
Rob
That’s an ingenious use of za’atar. I’m looking forward to dressing up some eggs with it.
I absolutely adore your food photography…they look like they came straight out of a Donna Hay magazine. May I ask what camera you use? I am shopping for a new camera. :)
hey matt,
yeah there’s nothing like a runny yolk.
rob,
the bloody caesar sounds delicious. will keep an eye out for clamato juice but mabey I need to plan a trip to Canada
thanks shaz. you’re right it’s funny how poached eggs manage to be both comforting and luxurious. I guess it has something to do with having the time to spend with them.
thanks mallika. yeah it’s hard to beat vodka and v8 juice as the proverbial hair
michelle,
thanks for enlightening me and giving me yet another excuse to plan another trip to the middle east. you’re right. have put in a link to wikkipedia for a better definition of za’atar in all it’s forms. the one I used was from my favourite Australian spice store and was made with thyme I guess because the true za’atar is unavailable on our shores. In any case am sure any form of za’atar would work well with eggs.
hey rob,
I usually don’t bother with either for something like this but if I was looking for a spread for my toast would always go with butter. I worked a summer for a margarine factory once and have never touched the stuff since…still remember the putrid smell.
thanks susan. good luck with your egg dressing
thanks rasa,
I think I’ve got a lot to learn before I’m in that league.
I have a Nikon D50 but if I was buying now would go for the D70. The secret weapon is my macro lense…can’t remember the actual size of it. possibly F2.8 90mm. good luck with your camera shopping…nothing like new toys. finally got myself a shiny new tripod last weekend.
Thanks for your tips…will shop around. :)
Thanks for the idea of the Eggs & Zatar. I am always looking for new recipe ideas for Zatar as it is on of the range of products we make at our Olive Grove in Strathalbyn, SA.
Like you, I have found various recipes for Zatar in my research and settled for a mix of Sumac, Sesame Seeds, Thyme & Oregano.
Just for a snack we use it mixed with olive oil as a dip with turkish bread.
Also try it rolled around a tuna fillet then seared and served with a Lime Aoil – superb.
thanks,
Helen http://www.talinga.com.au
Great post – thanks for sharing!
YUM! Does anyone know what other juices go well in a bloody mary?
Now to start with you bloody mary recipe is a good start. Despite my comments following this, I have made this kind of recipe when I needed a hangover cure in a pinch many of times, and it is awesome. That being said, I would like to offer to all the single most awesome bloody mary combination ever. Now stick with me folks, this has allot of ingredients (so make it by the pitcher), and trust me it is tomato based gold.
**** Note that no exact portion sizes are given due to the inherent nature of how everyone likes to customize bloody marys.****
Big tall glass (for the super hungover pull out that glass stein from Octoberfest…or a pitcher if there is a group).
Ingredients.
Ice (cubed not crushed)
Vodka (generally in a pint glass about 50% of the total volume of said glass with ice in it).
Worchester Sauce (a couple splashes less than you would normally use due to the next ingredient)
Beef Broth (yes you read right. Halve your normal Worchester sauce amount and replace this with beef broth).
Dash of Celery Salt (not much, barely a pinch per serving).
Cracked Black Pepper to taste
Spicey Horseradish to taste (which if your me is ALLOT).
Splash of Tapatillo
Splash of Tobasco (Chipolte)
Splash of Habanero Sauce
Squeeze of a lime or two.
Top off (basically the rest of the 50% of the drink) with straight tomato juice (no V8).
Now here is where it gets tricky. I for one HATE OLIVES OR ANYOTHER PICKLED VEGGIE in my Bloody Mary. So go to the store and buy (for the love of god do not cheap out on this) thick cut apple wood smoked bacon and celery. Baked the bacon in the oven, and use said bacon and celery to garnish you bloody mary with a slice of lime (ill kick your ass if you use lemon).
Shake like hell and serve.
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