Weekend breakfasts are something I look forward to all week long. During the week my breakfasts are pretty simple, oatmeal and maybe some yogurt with fruit. On the weekends though I like to make something special for me and Matthew. Since we’re always rushing during the weekday mornings we don’t get a chance to sit down and really enjoy breakfast together. It’s my favorite meal of the day, though, so it’s worth enjoying together whenever we can! I love breakfast because you can make a variety of things. It can be simple, more elaborate, sweet, savory, you name it. Since Matthew and I gave up sweets for Lent {you know what a sacrifice this is for me!}, we’re not allowed to have the sweet breakfast variety of french toast, waffles, or pancakes. Tear! I am stepping up my savory breakfast game, though. I’ve always loved poached eggs and decided to use what we had in the fridge and pantry to come up with the rest. Polenta with mushrooms and herbs was a great and filling choice and we loved it!
Poached Eggs with Mushroom and Herb Polenta
serves 2
INGREDIENTS
4 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups mixed mushrooms, very large ones halved {we used shitake and baby bella}
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp chopped chives and 1 teaspoon chives, divided
1 Tbsp chopped thyme
1 Tbsp truffle oil {or olive oil is fine too!}
salt and black pepper
2 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup polenta
3 oz Parmesan, grated
2 1/2 Tbsp butter
1 teaspoon finely chopped dill
4 oz feta
for the eggs:
2 eggs
1 tsp distilled white vinegar
DIRECTIONS
Heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add half of the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes, or until just cooked; try not to move them much so you get golden brown patched on their surface. Remove from the pan, and repeat with the rest of the mushrooms and oil. Off the heat, return all the mushrooms to the pan and add the garlic, 1 Tbsp chives, thyme, truffle oil and some salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Bring the stock to the boil in a saucepan. Slowly stir in the polenta, then reduce the heat to the minimum and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. The polenta is ready when it leaves the sides of the pan but is still runny. If you are using instant polenta it shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes; with traditional polenta it could take up to 50 minutes (if it seems to dry out, add some more stock or water but just enough to keep it at a thick porridge consistency).
Make the poached eggs: Bring medium sized pot to boil with water. Crack eggs into small dishes. Once boiling add vinegar, and drop eggs carefully into boiling water. Cover, remove from heat and let stand for 4 minutes. Remove immediately with slotted spoon and serve. {Alton Brown has a good recipe if you haven’t made poached eggs before!}
While the eggs are cooking, preheat the broiler. When the polenta is ready, stir in the Parmesan, butter, chives and half the dill. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the polenta over a heatproof dish {I used individual cast iron pans}, and top with feta. Place under the broiler until the cheese starts to brown. Remove, top with the mushrooms and their juices, and return to the broiler for a minute to warm up. Serve hot, with the poached eggs on top and garnish with the remaining dill.
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Do you do anything special for breakfast on the weekends? Matthew and I are looking for a cute brunch spot near our new place so that sometimes we can just roll out of bed, throw on a sweatshirt and have someone make us something hearty and delicious! It’s nice to have options 🙂
xox
