Whether you believe it’s the chicken or the egg that came first, celebrate World Egg Day on Friday, 14 October 2016. We’ll be scrambling to serve these soft-boiled eggs with prosciutto-wrapped toast soldiers and porcini butter all day long!
Some egg-citing facts about eggs:
- Many people perceive eggs as “bad” for containing cholesterol. Yet most of the cholesterol that circulates in our bodies is not from cholesterol in foods, but from our livers producing cholesterol in response to a high intake of saturated and transfats. Eggs are relatively low in saturated fat, compared to other animal products, and an egg a day is now said to be perfectly safe for your heart!
- Looking for an easy, on-the-go snack? Boiled eggs are a great option, especially for shedding a kilo or two. One large egg contains only about 79 calories (330kJ). Eggs score high on a scale called the Satiety Index, which measures the ability of foods to induce a satisfied feeling and reduce subsequent calorie intake.
- Eggs are a powerhouse of nutrients. They contain a little bit of almost everything! Apart from protein, they are also rich in vitamins and minerals; lutein and zeaxanthin, which are good for the eyes; and choline, which is needed by nerves and the brain.
- Eggs or beef? If you’re considering the earth, eggs should be your first choice. Per calorie of food that we consume, beef production generates five times more greenhouse gases, needs six times more fertiliser, 11 times more irrigation water and uses 28 times the land compared to egg and poultry production.
- We know breakfast is the most important meal of the day. An egg is an egg-cellent source of protein. It has been proven to assist with better blood sugar regulation and helps you feel fuller for longer.
Soft-boiled eggs with prosciutto-wrapped toast soldiers and porcini butter
Ingredients
Porcini butter
- 12g dried porcini mushrooms
- olive oil, to fry
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
- small handful fresh sage leaves, torn
- small handful fresh thyme leaves
- 125g butter, softened + extra, to fry
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Toast soldiers
- rustica seed loaf/sourdough, sliced into 1cm-thick soldiers
- 70g prosciutto
Eggs
- 4 extra-large eggs
- fresh thyme sprigs, to garnish
Instructions
For the porcini butter, add the dried porcinis to a bowl and soak in boiling water, 5 minutes. Drain and roughly chop the softened mushrooms.
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over low heat, add the garlic and herbs and fry, 5 minutes, continuously stirring (so as not to allow the garlic to burn). When the garlic is fried, combine with the softened porcinis and butter. Season to taste. Set aside until needed.
For the toast soldiers, heat a frying pan over medium heat, and add a drizzle of olive oil and a knob of butter. Fry the toast soldiers in the pan, about 2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and simply wipe it out with paper towel (as you’ll use the pan again soon).
Wrap each toast soldier in a prosciutto strip and set aside until needed.
For the boiled eggs, place the extra-large eggs in a pot of cold water. Bring the water to a boil. As it starts boiling, remove the pot from the heat. Let the eggs sit in the hot water for 4 minutes, before draining and cooling in cold water.
Add a little more butter and olive oil to the bread pan and fry the prosciutto-wrapped toast, 2 minutes per side, until the prosciutto is crispy.
To serve, remove the tops of the eggs and place in egg cups. Serve the soldiers spread with porcini butter for dipping into the soft yolk and garnish with fresh thyme sprigs.
Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine. www.imkawebb.com
