I will confess to chuckling to myself as I wrote the above title. I think it must rank as one of the least likely post titles to appear on my blog.
I mean, eggs?!
Sometimes, though, unexpected things come out of my kitchen. This dinner was one such example.
We actually have smoked salmon semi-regularly during Summer - perhaps once a month. Paired with salad and cooked and cooled potatoes, it's an easy weeknight dinner for hot days.
The fact that Mr Bite and I can have the exact same thing (salad dressing differences aside) is also a bonus, and I have come to enjoy smoked salmon more and more with age.
Eggs, though, do not usually feature. Nor does asparagus.
The reason for the change? Jamie Oliver's Great Britain, a series that I think aired in Australia last year, but which we are still working our way through now (all of our TV viewing is done off the PVR, so we are often many months out from when things were first shown).
One of Jamie's episodes featured asparagus, and the serving suggestion of asparagus, smoked salmon and poached eggs appealed to Mr Bite. Given that the meal looked easy to put together, I was more than happy to oblige and give it a try.
The thing that made this dish interesting (or at least, made it interesting to me) was how the eggs were poached. When I have poached eggs in the past, they went straight into boiling water, perhaps with some vinegar to help keep them together, but that was the extent of it.
This cooking method is slightly different.
In effect, you line a small cup or ramekin with cling wrap, into which you place seasoning as desired. In Mr Bite's, I put a dab of butter, pepper and dried parsley, which I think approximated what we watched Jamie do. You then crack an egg into each cup, gather the plastic wrap to make a little parcel, twist the plastic wrap tightly, and then immerse the whole parcel in your boiling water and simmer for 2 - 5 minutes, or however long you like to poach your eggs for.
The result is quite attractive, even to someone who doesn't eat eggs!
We both agreed that the asparagus (which I just steamed) and smoked salmon paired very well together. Mr Bite liked the egg component too, including the seasoning. We had our usual cold potatoes on the side, but I think some fresh bread might suit the ingredients better and I would try that in future.
This was the first time I'd had asparagus in a number of years, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The contrasting intensity of the salmon contributed to this, but I think I'll be trying asparagus in other dishes in the near future too.
All in all, however you make and modify this dish, it is easy and we both enjoyed our versions. The cost for 2 people was also about half of that for a take-away pizza, thereby highlighting that even 'expensive' food (something smoked salmon and asparagus have a reputation for) can be cheaper and quicker to prepare than something you buy ready made.
Do you enjoy asparagus? How about smoked salmon?
Any favourite Jamie Oliver dishes?
I mean, eggs?!
Sometimes, though, unexpected things come out of my kitchen. This dinner was one such example.
We actually have smoked salmon semi-regularly during Summer - perhaps once a month. Paired with salad and cooked and cooled potatoes, it's an easy weeknight dinner for hot days.
The fact that Mr Bite and I can have the exact same thing (salad dressing differences aside) is also a bonus, and I have come to enjoy smoked salmon more and more with age.
Eggs, though, do not usually feature. Nor does asparagus.
The reason for the change? Jamie Oliver's Great Britain, a series that I think aired in Australia last year, but which we are still working our way through now (all of our TV viewing is done off the PVR, so we are often many months out from when things were first shown).
One of Jamie's episodes featured asparagus, and the serving suggestion of asparagus, smoked salmon and poached eggs appealed to Mr Bite. Given that the meal looked easy to put together, I was more than happy to oblige and give it a try.
The thing that made this dish interesting (or at least, made it interesting to me) was how the eggs were poached. When I have poached eggs in the past, they went straight into boiling water, perhaps with some vinegar to help keep them together, but that was the extent of it.
This cooking method is slightly different.
In effect, you line a small cup or ramekin with cling wrap, into which you place seasoning as desired. In Mr Bite's, I put a dab of butter, pepper and dried parsley, which I think approximated what we watched Jamie do. You then crack an egg into each cup, gather the plastic wrap to make a little parcel, twist the plastic wrap tightly, and then immerse the whole parcel in your boiling water and simmer for 2 - 5 minutes, or however long you like to poach your eggs for.
The result is quite attractive, even to someone who doesn't eat eggs!
Picture this with added potato; and then with potato but no eggs for my plate :)
We both agreed that the asparagus (which I just steamed) and smoked salmon paired very well together. Mr Bite liked the egg component too, including the seasoning. We had our usual cold potatoes on the side, but I think some fresh bread might suit the ingredients better and I would try that in future.
This was the first time I'd had asparagus in a number of years, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The contrasting intensity of the salmon contributed to this, but I think I'll be trying asparagus in other dishes in the near future too.
All in all, however you make and modify this dish, it is easy and we both enjoyed our versions. The cost for 2 people was also about half of that for a take-away pizza, thereby highlighting that even 'expensive' food (something smoked salmon and asparagus have a reputation for) can be cheaper and quicker to prepare than something you buy ready made.
Do you enjoy asparagus? How about smoked salmon?
Any favourite Jamie Oliver dishes?
