We are really blessed to have friends who have free range hens, and lately they have been sharing with us some of their lovely eggs. They are so fresh and beautiful and more often than not we will enjoy one or two for our supper. Eggs are one of those things that make for a lovely light supper or lunch. They're not just for breakfast! In fact we probably have them more for supper than we have them for any other meal!
The recipe I am sharing today is one that I adapted from a recipe I found on the blog Simply Delicious several months back. It is only now that I have gotten around to making it, and I can tell you, it won't be long before I make it again, as we both really enjoyed it!
One of the things I liked most about it and which drew me to it was the creamed spinach. Fresh crisp buttered toast is topped with a layer of creamed spinach, crisp bacon and then eggs. I adore creamed spinach.
Actually I just adore spinach full stop. Raw and in salads, in tarts, sauteed, and yes, as in this recipe . . . creamed. And the method of creaming it is very simple. You simply saute spinach in a bit of oil. The original recipe used 1 TBS of oil, but in reality you don't need that much. I only used 1 tsp.
The spinach as it cooks and wilts, releases a lot of juices, so really you probably wouldn't need to use any oil at all,except for the bit of flavor it adds. You also cook a bit of garlic in the oil first, just until it becomes quite fragrant. You don't want it to brown as browned garlic can taste somewhat bitter. So you flavor the oil with some garlic and then you start wilting the spinach. I like to remove any longish or thickish stems from the spinach and discard them. They can be a bit undesirable and stringy. Its not a bother to do that. It is the type of mindless job you can do while you are watching your soaps or whatever.
I don't mind mindless jobs like that. After you have wilted all of the spinach, you put it into a sieve to drain. It is surprising how much liquid there is in spinach. You can press it out very easily with the back of a wooden spoon. Then I chopped it coarsely with some kitchen scissors.
After that you just stir in some sour cream, and a bit of lemon juice and seasoning. Easy peasy. Pile it on some hot buttered toast and top with some crisp streaky bacon and eggs . . . poached or fried. Both work. The day we had this, I fried them, but I think I would like poached eggs better, personally.
I used toasted ciabatta rolls that I trimmed the crusts off and then thinly sliced. They worked beautifully and were just the right size.
I can remember my brother begging my mother to buy spinach when we were children. We used to watch the Popeye cartoons and he thought if he ate spinach he could have muscles like Popeye. She told him she didn't think we would like it, but she bought a tin anyways . . .
And she was right . . . none of us liked it. (tinned spinach . . . YUCK!) I dare say however, if fresh spinach had been available, the story might have ended quite differently. I think fresh spinach, lightly cooked, is a little taste of heaven on earth! It has a beautiful earthy almost mineral taste that I quite enjoy.
Especially when you mix it with a bit of cream, sour or otherwise . . . and some crisp bacon. Bacon is another bit of heaven . . . ahem . . .
And then when you top that with an egg . . . the yolk lightly torn open so that golden richness dribbles down over the creamed spinach . . . such a beautiful taste combination. A feast for the eyes and the mouth.
This made for the perfect, light supper on a night when it was too hot to cook very much of anything. It would be a beautiful breakfast or brunch dish at the weekend. The recipe serves 2, but I think it could very easily be multiplied to serve more.
*Bacon, Egg & Creamed Spinach on Toast*Serves 2Printable Recipe
This makes a substantial breakfast at the weekend, or a great weeknight supper. Its a delicious combination.
For the Spinach:1 tsp light olive oil2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced1 1/2 180g-bags of fresh baby spinach, washed and torn (6 cups)2 TBS sour cream1 tsp lemon juicesalt and black pepper to taste
You will also need:hot buttered toast of your choice4 slices of crisp streaky baconfried or poached eggs (if they are small we have 2 each, if large we have one each)
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook until quite fragrant. Start adding the spinach by the handful, letting it wilt down before adding more. (I like to remove and discard any longish or large stems prior to cooking.) Once all of the spinach has wilted, pour it into a fine seive. Press with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much water as possible. Put into a bowl and chop lightly with a pair of kitchen scissors, stir in the sour cream and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Keep warm while you put together the remaining elements of the dish.
Top each of two warm plates with hot buttered toast. Divide the creamed spinach between the two. Top each with 2 slices of bacon and your eggs. Serve immediately.
Simple ingredients put together in a beautiful way. What more could you ask for? Bon Appetit!
