Name: Poached egg and nettle sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 100 gm pearl barley; 1 garlic clove, crushed; 1 tsp coriander seeds; 1 fresh bay leaf; 1 piece lemon peel; 6 eggs; To serve: baby cress; To serve: olive oil; Nettle sauce; 400 gm nettles (see note); 200 ml milk; To taste: finely grated nutmeg

Poached egg and nettle sauce

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Poached egg and nettle sauce

Serves 6

Prep

10M

Cook

25M

Total

35M

Ingredients

100 gm pearl barley

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 fresh bay leaf

1 piece lemon peel

6 eggs

To serve: baby cress

To serve: olive oil

Nettle sauce

400 gm nettles (see note)

200 ml milk

To taste: finely grated nutmeg

Method

Main

1.Cook barley, garlic, coriander seeds, bay leaf and lemon peel in a saucepan of boiling salted water over medium-high heat until barley is tender (20-25 minutes). Drain, spread on a tray and refrigerate until cooled to room temperature (10-15 minutes).

2.Meanwhile, for nettle sauce, blanch nettles until wilted (20-30 seconds), refresh under cold running water, drain well and coarsely chop. Blend in a blender until smooth, adding milk to form a thick purée, then add nutmeg, season to taste and set aside.

3.Poach eggs in a large saucepan of simmering water over medium heat until soft-poached (2-3 minutes), remove with a slotted spoon and pat dry on absorbent paper. Serve hot with barley and nettle purée, scattered with cress and drizzled with oil.

Stinging nettles are harvested from the wild and are available from select Italian grocers and greengrocers. When preparing nettles, wear rubber gloves, because contact will result in itchiness for up to a day. Wash them well under cold running water. If nettles are unavailable, substitute a bitter green, such as kale.
This recipe is from the February 2011 issue of
.
Drink Suggestion: 2008 Fanny Sabre Bourgogne Blanc, Burgundy, France Drink suggestion by Katrina Birchmeier
Notes