I hope this farro bowl with poached eggs, shaved asparagus and feta rocks your world as much as it did mine!
I have to admit, this dish was extra delicious and special for me. After 9 months of abstaining from undercooked eggs while I was pregnant, I finally sliced my fork into the center of a perfectly cooked poached egg, let all that creamy yolk run out right on top of tangy little feta crumbles, silky shaved asparagus, pungent basil leaves and a mound of farro. If I could put heaven in my mouth, this would be it.
Oh, did I mention how easy this recipe is? Here’s a video recipe that I made with Poggio del Farroa Tuscan farro producer that I collaborate with to make delicious recipes and products.
One of the parts not included in the video is the addition of vinegar (I used white) and swirling the water to make a perfectly poached egg. You can check out Chef Ramsey Gordon’s videoto see how simple it is.
Quick and wholesome meals are essential for my busy life with a newborn. Being that I am breastfeeding, I want to give Pepper all the right nutrients she needs to grow strong and my meal planning has to be efficient as I have limited time to cook. This is why I love this farro bowl. It’s packed with goodness and I can make it in a snap.
Speaking of Baby Italicana, she turned two months last week! It’s surreal how fast time flies by. Mr. Italicano and I are loving every moment of parenthood, even the middle of the night wake ups and poopy diapers. We wouldn’t trade it for anything. Our life right now has definitely become more routine, but it feels so remarkably amazing.I never knew my heart could feel this full, it just bursts and overflows with love. ❤️ We are so grateful for this little beautiful creature.
I cannot resist posting a blast of photos: I hope they make you smile and brighten your day as much as they do ours. ❤️
Our beautiful newborn photos above were taken by my talented friend and photographer, Michelle Aschbacher.
Farro with Poached Eggs, Shaved Asparagus and Feta
Try this simple farro bowl with poached egg, shaved asparagus, feta and basil. I LOVE how easy it is to make. So delicious too!
Serves: 2
Ingredients
1 ¼ cups (200g) pearled farro
1 tablespoon coarse salt
5 cups water
6 Asparagus
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, skin removed
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
1 handful of basil, chopped
2 tablespoons feta, crumbled
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 eggs
Gomasio
Salt and black pepper
Instructions
Fill a medium sized pot with water, add the farro and salt and bring to a boil. Cook for 18 minutes.
Use a vegetable peeler to shave the asparagus.
Add the extra virgin olive oil, asparagus and garlic clove to the skillet. Cook for 1 minute over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Discard the garlic.
When the farro is done, drain and divide the farro into two bowls. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine.
Top farro with the asparagus, chopped basil and feta.
Bring a small pot of water to boil. Add the white vinegar and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Crack one egg into a small bowl. Now stir the water with a spoon to create a vortex and gently lower the egg into the water. This will help the yolk to be covered by the egg white. Cook for 3 minutes or until the egg white has harden up. Remove with a slotted spoon and pat dry with a paper towel. Repeat for the second egg.
Add the poached eggs to the bowls and top with a sprinkle of gomasio, salt and pepper.
3.4.3177
I made this recipe for Poggio del Farro. Although we often collaborate with this company, this specific recipe is not sponsored by them.
Here in Italy, I’ve gotten use to eating sweet breakfasts, often times a cappuccino and a croissant. Yet, a lot of times this breakfast ::colazione doesn’t hold me over very long. I usually get a drop of energy way before lunch.
Eggs, on the other hand, always seem to do the trick, especially when they are paired with delicious Italian cannellini beans, which are an excellent source of protein and iron. I absolutely adore these beans as they are fluffy and creamy :: cremosa in texture, and have a slightly nutty flavor. I pureed them with goat cheese (I love cheese) but you can also whip them as they are or add in a swirl of extra virgin olive oil.
Eggs :: uova are weird. You can prepare them in different ways and either love them or hate them. I love them poached, yet detest them over easy. I adore them scrambled, but hate them boiled. So, if you aren’t a big poached egg fan, feel free to top this recipe with your egg preparation of choice.
Mr. Italicano is a phenomenal food critique, like most Italians are. It must be in their blood or something. Can I get a transfusion? Before moving to Italy, I never paid much attention to playing with texture ::consistenza in my recipes. But now I yearn for it; I expect it. A dish should run your palate up and down the taste, texture and smell spectrums like Beethoven’s Symphony No 9 runs you up and down the piano instead of banging loudly on one little key. Variety in textures does wonders in recipes, let me know what you think!
6 radishes, tops and bottoms removed and thinly sliced
1 spring onion, green stem only, thinly sliced
2 slices of whole wheat bread
2 eggs
Salt and black pepper, as needed
Instructions
Bring a small pot of water to boil.
Using an immersion hand blender, blend the cannellini beans and goat cheese together.
Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to a small skillet and cook the garlic over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the greens and cook until warm and wilted.
In another small skillet, add some extra virgin olive oil and the sliced radishes and cook until soft; 1-2 minutes.
Toast the bread.
Turn down the heat of the boiling water until it just barely bubbles. Directly crack two eggs into the water and cook for 2-3 minutes until the white part has become firm but when you raise the egg with a slotted spoon the yolk is still dark and not light yellow. (If it’s pale yellow it usually is overcooked and will be hard in the middle.)
In two bowls add: the cannellini bean and goat cheese mixture, greens, eggs, radishes and top with chopped spring onions. Sprinkle with salt, add a few cracks of black pepper and serve with toasted bread (it’s great for spreading on top). Enjoy!
This breakfast bruschetta is my favorite recipe to get my day off on a delicious start. Packed with fresh vegetables and protein, it’s my go-to breakfast when I need a lot of energy to fuel me until lunch. This recipe is for one but can easily be multiplied for the whole family.
Notice how I created an Italian flag bruschetta? This wasn’t intentional but it did make me laugh after I had thrown together all of my favorite ingredients and the colors that dominated were red, green and white. Coincidence? Probably not, just my Italian-infatuated-mind taking control.
Be sure to pick up some Italian artisanal rustic bread, it really does make a difference on the overall taste. Rub the piece of bread with a clove of garlic if you like or you can skip that part and just drizzle the bread with a bit of olive oil before you stick it in the oven. Of course, if you are in a hurry you can always pop the slice of bread in the toaster.
Even when tomatoes are out of season, you can get a caramelized and intensified flavor simply by roasting them. This recipe only calls for five roasted tomatoes but it seems like a lot of effort to roast such a small portion so I usually do a whole tray full and keep the extras in the fridge (up to 5 days) or freezer (up to 6 months).
Left over roasted tomatoes are extremely versatile and can enhance the flavors of pastas, soups and sandwiches. In my gourmet grilled cheese sandwich I used fresh datterini tomatoes, but I’m sure it would be even more flavorful with these instead.
Giant green basil leaves add not only a vibrant color to the breakfast bruschetta, but also a burst of freshness. Try it out for yourself and let me know what you think!
This breakfast bruschetta makes for a delicious start to your day. Packed with fresh veggies and protein, it will keep your energy going until lunch time.
5 datterini, cherry or baby plum tomatos
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper, qb
1 small handful spinach, washed then chopped
1 spoonful pesto
1 egg
2 slices Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (otherwise known as Parmesean)
Small handful of fresh basil
4 walnuts, shelled
1 slice of rustic bread
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, add the tomatoes, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes. (I tend to make a large batch and keep the rest of the roasted tomatoes in the fridge (up to 5 days) or freezer (up to 6 months).
Meanwhile heat a small sauce pan with water over high heat.
In a small pan heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the spinach and saute’ until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pesto.
Once the water has boiled add a pinch of salt then reduce to a simmer. Gently crack in the egg. For a super runny egg, cook for about 2 minutes. For an egg yolk that is slightly runny it will take 3-4 minutes. With a slotted spoon life up the egg and gently wiggle to see if it is at the right consistency. You can tell by how much the yolk wiggles and if the egg white firms up. If it’s not, return it to the pan and cook for another minute. When the egg is done, take it out with a slotted spoon and let it drain for a few seconds over the pan. Gently blot with a paper towel.
Toast the bread in the toaster or stick it into the warm oven for a few minutes. I usually rub with garlic and drizzle with olive oil before putting it in the oven, but you can also skip this step.
Now we’re ready to stack the bruschetta. Place the warm bread on a plate. Add the spinach and the poached egg followed by the cheese, roasted tomatoes, basil and walnuts. Season with additional salt and pepper and enjoy!
I have to admit, this dish was extra delicious and special for me. After 9 months of abstaining from undercooked eggs while I was pregnant, I finally sliced my fork into the center of a perfectly cooked poached egg, let all that creamy yolk run out right on top of tangy little feta crumbles, silky shaved asparagus, pungent basil leaves and a mound of farro. If I could put heaven in my mouth, this would be it.
Quick and wholesome meals are essential for my busy life with a newborn. Being that I am breastfeeding, I want to give Pepper all the right nutrients she needs to grow strong and my meal planning has to be efficient as I have limited time to cook. This is why I love this farro bowl. It’s packed with goodness and I can make it in a snap.
Our beautiful newborn photos above were taken by my talented friend and photographer, Michelle Aschbacher.
