The last time I did this traditional recipe from Burgundy was a couple of years ago, around this time of year… It was for an idea of a post for work, my vision of celebrating Easter I guess, with the whole egg thing and all that. Unfortunately, I did it on a “Good Friday”, where the whole of Ireland goes dry. The pubs are closed, no one drinks alcohol and meat especially pork is absolutely forbidden… Hahahaha… Hum… Sorry, I just had a moment here. So as I said, I meant well, but since my religious education is literally inexistent ( I have culture about religions, just no education), I unleashed the ire of Mujahideen of the Holly Bible… I failed twice, with the bacon and the wine… They came down on me frantically and verbally gesturing on the web like a bunch of sweepers around a Curling stone… Guys , I meant no disrespect, so sorry again hey?

Anyway, I have learnt my lesson. And since Easter was early this year, I decided to wait a little bit to give you this amazing recipe that brings me a lot of comfort when I make it.

You’ll Need:

• 33cl of light red wine, Pinot Noir, Gamay, Schiava ( in this case)
• a healthy dash of Balsamic vinegar
• 150g of bacon
• 2 small red onions finely chopped
• 2 spring onions
• 2 fresh eggs
• 2 cloves of garlic sliced
• salt and pepper to taste at the end ( bacon can be quite salty)

How to:

First, take your slices of farmhouse bacon ( I used Mc Carthy’s from Cork in this one) and slice them into thin enough strips. Fry them in an olive oiled pan and when golden, place on kitchen paper to remove the fat. Put back in the pan and pour the dash of balsamic vinegar over it…

Add the onions and garlic and pour the wine over, let the whole thing simmer by half, but not too thick. I couldn’t get any good value Burgundy red ( mad expensive, in Ireland? Forget it!) so I used a good Schiava grape wine from Alto Adige, it is wonderful and easy, perfect for this recipe… I mean, look at that colour! This dish should be delicate on the palate…

And this is the wine label, in case you come across the amazing wines this region produces…

For the eggs, take a pan and start from cold without salt. Put another splash of balsamic vinegar in there and bring to a gentle simmer. On the side, have a bowl of cold water ready. Once the water comes to a simmering point, stir the water clockwise the spatula to make a gentle whirl and slide the egg in, one by one. It will only take 4 to 5 minutes. Don’t go anywhere, try to keep the poached egg together and gently lift in the cold water. Repeat the operation with the other(s). Serve in a bowl, I like the egg to be runny, and that is the way it should be. You can re-heat a pan of water ( or the same one) to dip them for a wee bit. Serve with a nice bit of bread, like a country baguette or a slice of sourdough bread. Put in the sauce the sliced spring onions for extra flavour and taste. I spred a bit of goat’s cheese on my bread for extra drama, keep it fresh and simple…

Whatever you do, keep it real, this is a great starter, or even small dinner treat… Very impressive in so many ways, so rewarding in others…

And the final “Coup de Grace”, with a runny egg… If you find it off putting, cook the egg a bit longer, but it is not the same.

Keep Well and Eat Happy,

Slán Tamall

Franck