Mr 70’s who is no Jamie Oliver, surprised me this morning, on our 40th wedding anniversary. He has only ventured into the kitchen on a few occasions and made one of his repertoire standard dishes from a short list of 2 perfected delights…….toast and coffee don’t count as, really, I think my dog Mabel could perform that trick in the kitchen.

The 2 dishes he has made,  are a mean omelette, which always has tongues wagging and my least favourite served to me during the 70’s when I had the flu, that nearly turned into a full on seizure when I saw what he had cooked me…….calf liver with onions with roast red and green peppers.

You might also be gagging as I was, or you might think this a fine dish……I, however, blame it on his Italian heritage!  There are few foods I shy away from but offal is one of them.

So this morning when Mr 70’s came into the bedroom with fresh coffee, perfectly poached egg with avocado on grainy rye toast and a beautifully written card of our life together, all served on a big, big sturdy chopping board, I was reduced to tears. Forget the material luxuries that life can offer, this breakfast was a luxury that warmed the heart, soothed the soul and made the whole world wonderful. A gift from the heart.

I had to wonder if Mr 70’s was cooking his way through the tomb of Julia Child’s, brushing up his culinary techniques at midnight, or was that burning toast that I could smell on many  occasions in the wee hours? I will never know!

I know bread and gluten are off the menu for now in this new weight loss regime I am on but Mr 70’s sat next to me watching me devour every mouthful of his efforts and I felt I could not disappoint eating the lot. Really, what’s one slice of rye bread between friends?

To poach is to cook food in water or liquid. It is a gentle, low calorie way of cooking that treats the food with the upmost respect. I great recipe to start the first day of my new regime.

So, today I give you the perfect poached egg, fat free, soft in the centre, and really easy with the following tips.

Poached Egg

Use gluten free bread if you have it

You need:

1 egg

1 tablespoon vinegar, I used apple cider

pinch of sea salt

1 saucepan of boiling water

To make:

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil (large bubbles), add vinegar and salt and reduce water to a simmer (small bubbles)

Gently crack your egg into a cup or small dish

Stir the simmering water in one direction and slide the egg into the centre of the swirling water.

Poach for about 3 minutes or to your liking.

Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel, serve sans toast if you are joining me on the post 50 regime.

Serving suggesting: Poached eggs with grilled or steamed asparagus and roasted tomatoes

Like Mr 70’s, practice makes perfect, you may need to have several attempts to master the poached egg but don’t give up, the reward is sublime!

Bon appetite

X 19seventiesgirl