Bitter Greens, Eggs, and Cheese

Here is my idea of a perfect breakfast: sautéed mustard greens with bacon, a poached egg, and a nice dusting of Parmigiano. This combination is like Feng Shui for Sunday morning. You’ve got your bitter, your salty, your sweet; and texture-wise, you’ve got crispy meets soft meets damp-leafy.

C’est harmony.

Dandelion greens or chard also work in this recipe. Don’t be afraid to add a few red pepper flakes if you want to create some heat. Word has it that bitter greens are good for you during a change of seasons. They tonify the liver, so says my Chinese herbalist. I find them very cleansing the morning after, oh, a Manhattan and an enormous cheese plate.

Mustard Greens w/ Poached Egg & Parm

1 bunch leafy greens (about 3 packed cups, chopped)

4 strips bacon

1 Tbsp. vinegar (Balsamic works well)

1 small purple onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 egg

Grated Parm or Grana Padano

Fry up the bacon, and reserve a teaspoon or two of bacon grease in your skillet for sautéing. On medium heat, soften the onion and garlic in the bacon grease. When the onions are translucent, add the chopped greens. While the greens cook, simmer a saucepan of water and crack your egg into a cereal bowl. Add a teaspoon of any old vinegar to the hot water – this will prevent the egg whites from fanning out into an octopus. Gently slide the raw egg into the hot water and let simmer 3 minutes or less.

When the greens are good and wilted, sprinkle them with a Tablespoon of good vinegar, add some crumbled bacon, and give them a final stir. Then arrange them on a plate, top them with your poached egg, and add a few cranks of pepper and as much grated Parm as you can handle. The sweetness of this cheese goes perfectly with the other flavors.