In this recipe, parsley appears not as a garnish or finishing touch, but as a particularly intense form of ‘wilted greens’. Its beautiful colour and deep, fresh flavour are a lovely contrast to crisp, hot toast and the richness of a poached egg. I use flat-leaf rather than curly parsley here for its fuller, more refined flavour.
Serves 2
About 100g flat-leaf parsley, washed
A knob of butter (about 20g)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 slices of good bread
A little extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pick over the parsley, removing the coarse stems: you want just the leaves and fine stems attached to them. Put the parsley in a steamer and steam over boiling water for about 5 minutes, or ‘wilt’ for 3–4 minutes in a pan with a little simmering water. Tip the parsley into a sieve, press with the back of a large spoon to squeeze out excess moisture and let it steam off for a couple of minutes. Place on a board and chop roughly, then put into a pan with the butter and some salt and pepper. Heat very gently, tossing once or twice, just until the butter is melted and mixed with the parsley. Take off the heat, cover and keep warm.
Poach the eggs according to your favourite method. This is mine: pour a 4–5cm depth of water into a wide saucepan or deep frying pan and bring to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, break each egg carefully into a cup or ramekin. When the water is boiling, turn off the heat and immediately but gently tip the eggs into the water. Put the lid on the pan and leave to cook in the residual heat for 2½–3 minutes. Carefully scoop up the eggs using a slotted spoon and check that the whites are set, with no jellyish clear bits left; if there are some, return the eggs to the water for 30 seconds. Give them half a minute in the spoon to drain and dab carefully with a piece of kitchen paper to help get rid of the water. Trim off any raggedy bits of white.
While the eggs are poaching, toast the bread and trickle with a little extra virgin olive oil or spread with butter. Place on warm plates. Top with the parsley, then the eggs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then serve.
SWAPS Tender nettle tips, prepared as described here, and cooked in the same way as the parsley, work well here. A heap of buttery, wilted sorrel leaves, softened with a spoonful of cream, is another great swap. And, as you might guess, wilted spinach is excellent too.