Spinach Soups with Poached Egg

Hi Fran!

I must confess that now… I am in the height of my soup craze. I am really amazed at how much soup I can consume and never get tired of it! EVERY SINGLE DAY, and still want more!!!

So this post is about 2 soups I made, thanks to this month’s Daring Cook’s Challenge: Jenn and Jill have challenged The Daring Cooks to learn to perfect the technique of poaching an egg. They chose Eggs Benedict recipe from Alton Brown, Oeufs en Meurette from Cooking with Wine by Anne Willan, and Homemade Sundried Tomato & Pine Nut Seitan Sausages (poached) courtesy of Trudy of Veggie num num.

I did not make any of the aforementioned recipes, BUT I did make poached eggs The first time I succeeded in making poached eggs was in this post, last February. I succeeded once and never tried again, until now…

For a while now, I have been drooling over the photos in an amazing cookbook I have called “Soup” by Anne-Catherine Bley, it features, without a doubt, the most mouthwatering photos of soup. There is one in particular, the Green Cream Soup with Poached Egg, which looks delicious and I had been meaning to make it. Well… this Friday was the day. I made my own simply delicious version that night and reconverted the rest of the soup into a 2nd even tastier version the next night.

Proof of the difference between professional and amateur photography. She created a phenomenal photo, rendering such a strange colour soup so beautiful. The best I could muster up is the photo to the left, when I was fighting for my beautifully poached egg to resurface, when all it seemed to want to do, is to sink deeper and deeper… (the picture to the left is a bad snap of the photo in the book, to the right is my attempt at photographing the poached egg in the soup! ) The worst part, is that it was a perfectly poached egg, and when cracked inside the soup, the perfectly runny yolk dispersed into the soup to make it so deliciously creamy and thick.

Spinach & Leek Soup

A delightfully simple soup, which literally takes 10 minutes to make

4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 750gr spinach
• 2 large leeks chopped
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 vegetable broth bouillon cube
• water
• salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Put water in a large kettle to boil.
2. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium fire and sautee leeks. when they are starting to soften, add the spinach to the pot. As it is starting to wilt, add the garlic, bouillon cube and fill with water just enough to cover all the spinach leaves. Bring to the boil.
3. Turn heat off, transfer to a blender and process until it has all become a smooth silky green texture.
4. Return to pot and gently simmer until it is heated through.
5. Ladle your desired amount into a bowl, and gently place your prefect poached egg on top. (Poaching tutorial below) OR serve with a toasted piece of baguette with some lovely herbed cream cheese spread on it, for dipping… OR BOTH

Green Monster Soup

A nutritiously simple soup, which also takes 10 minutes to make.

4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 325gr spinach
• 1 large leeks chopped
• 2 cups shelled edamame beans
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 vegetable broth bouillon cube
• large handful of parsley (chopped)
• handful of basil leaves
• water
• 1 tbsp wasabi paste
• salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Put water in a large kettle to boil.
2. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium fire and sautee leeks. when they are starting to soften, add the spinach to the pot. As it is starting to wilt, add the edamame beans, garlic, parsley, basil, bouillon cube and fill with water just enough to cover all the spinach leaves. Bring to the boil.
3. Turn heat off, transfer to a blender, adding wasabi paste and process until it has all become a smooth silky green texture.
4. Return to pot and gently simmer until it is heated through.
5. Ladle your desired amount into a bowl, and gently place your prefect poached egg on top. (Poaching tutorial below)

Poached Egg

INGREDIENTS

• Eggs
• Splash of Vinegar (I use rice wine vinegar)

DIRECTIONS

1. Put water in a large sauce pan to heat, on medium heat. It is critical that water reaches hot temperature without boiling!
2. Crack your freshest egg in a small bowl.
3. When the water is thoroughly heated through, add a splash of vinegar, swirl the water until a whirlpool forms and gently, pou the egg in the middle of the spiral.
4. Let the egg cook through for about a minute, until it is just starting to whiten, and gently help it form into a perfect shape with the help of a spatula. Cook for 3 minutes for runny middle.

ENJOY!!! XOXO