Ingredients
- Serves 2
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 4 large free-range eggs
- 150g Greek yoghurt
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes (use Aleppo chilli flakes if you can find them)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- For the salad:
- 150g pearl barley, cooked
- 100g cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- ½ small cucumber, sliced thinly
- A small bunch of radishes, sliced in half
- A small handful of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Toasted sourdough bread, to serve
If you are at all intrigued by this dish, I urge you to try it, the poached eggs slathered with a spiced butter sitting in a well of tangy yoghurt, is wonderfully unique.
Prepare the salad by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and tossing to combine. Season generously and set aside.
To poach the eggs, fill a wide pan with water to a depth of about 5cm and bring to the boil. Add a pinch of sea salt and the vinegar. Lower the heat to a very gentle simmer and drop the eggs into the water right at the surface (you may find it easier to break each egg into a cup and slide it gently into the water). Cook for 3–4 minutes before removing with a slotted spoon and draining on kitchen paper.
Mix together the yoghurt and garlic and set aside.
Place a small frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the butter. Allow it to foam and become nutty and golden brown. Turn off the heat and sprinkle in the chilli flakes and paprika. Stir through the oil and set aside.
Divide the yoghurt between 2 serving plates, spreading in a circular motion to leave a shallow well across half the plate. Add poached eggs to each well. Spoon the spiced butter mixture over the top and serve with the grain salad and chunky slices of toasted sourdough.
