Simply Spectacular Suppertime

Uovo in Camicia su Spinaci con Salsa di Peperone e Pomodoro

Poached Egg on Spinach, with Red Pepper & Tomato Salsa

Spinach and egg- all time favorites for almost everybody- so what's not to love about that? Well- nothing to be honest- but if you add a little something extra to make you love them a little more, that can't be a bad thing either!

So this evening, I made a simple bell pepper and tomato salsa to go with them and to add a bit of fruitiness and richness... and something to dip some nice crunch bread into as well!

It doesn't take much effort to make the most simple of dishes just a little bit special.This lovely little supper was put together in less than 30 minutes- so it is plain to see that it doesn't take much work... so no slacking! 

If you're gonna do it- do it right!

You can't get easier than this... for 1 person, you will need 1 red bell pepper, 4-5 cherry tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of tomato puree, 1 onion, 1 egg, a little fresh basil, a little nutmeg, salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar and a little olive oil. 

And just a dash of white vinegar for poaching the egg of course ;-)

This is a dish that reminds me of my childhood and of better days when we were so much happier with much simpler meals... sigh! 

Like it is rocket science to learn to appreciate that again! !!! Just do it!

For the salsa, simply coarsely chop the pepper, tomatoes and half of the onion and fry in a little olive oil with salt, pepper and a few leaves of basil.

For the spinach- finely chop the other half of the onion and fry it in a little olive oil until it becomes translucent, then add the spinach which should be cut into slightly smaller pieces, stir through, cover with the lid and allow it to steam in its own juices for 4-5 minutes.

Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and keep frying until it is glossy and tender.

After the tomatoes and peppers have cooked for around 10 minutes, deglaze the saucepan with just a little splash of water and a pinch of sugar, then pop them into a blender, or use an immersion blender, and whizz them together until they are nice and fine.

Add a tablespoon of tomato puree and a dash of olive oil and whizz them through again- and once you have poached your egg for 3-4 minutes... you are ready to serve!

Alas, by the time I had assembled mine in front of the camera, the residual heat of the egg made it cook through a little bit more firmly than I would have liked- so, try not to go above 4 minutes... that is my advice!

And still... it was pretty phenomenal! A little more pepper, a tad more olive oil, a pinch of salt and a wonderful supper was ready to be enjoyed! And how!