Portobello mushrooms with confit garlic and chilli kale recipe

Name: Portobello mushrooms with confit garlic and chilli kale recipe
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 bulb garlic, peeled; 5 long red chillies, sliced lengthways and de-seeded; 200ml olive oil; 2 sprigs rosemary; 2 sprigs thyme; 2 big pinches salt flakes

Darren Robertson and Mark LaBrooy

October 14, 2016

Start the day as you mean to go on, with an outstanding breakfast.

Ingredients

Confit garlic and chilli

1 bulb garlic, peeled
5 long red chillies, sliced lengthways and de-seeded
200ml olive oil
2 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
2 big pinches salt flakes

Mushrooms and poached eggs

8 large portobello mushrooms, de-stemmed
3 tbsp olive oil
¼ bunch thyme, finely chopped
¼ bunch rosemary, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper
2L water
50ml white vinegar
4 fresh free-range eggs
1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped
4 thick slices sourdough
100g pecorino, shaved with a potato peeler
¼ bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 lemon, finely zested

Method

1. First make the confit garlic. Preheat oven to 150C. Put the garlic, chillies, olive oil, rosemary and thyme into a loaf tin. Cover with aluminium foil and bake for two hours. Remove from oven, cool, add the salt then blend the ingredients or finely chop and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 190C. Put mushrooms on a baking tray lined with baking paper, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary, thyme and garlic. Season well with salt and pepper, and bake for 15 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked through and soft.
3. To poach the eggs, fill a medium-sized pot with two litres of water and bring to the boil. Add the vinegar and turn down the heat to just under boiling. The water should swirl but not bubble. Spin the water with a ladle and carefully crack open an egg into the centre of the pot. The swirling water should help contain the egg so it doesn't split. If it does, take it out and try again with another egg –- they must be very fresh. Poach each egg for three to four minutes and remove carefully with a slotted spoon. Season and set aside.
4. Put the bread in toaster to toast.
5. Heat a large, heavy-set frying pan on high and add two generous tablespoons of confit garlic. Add the kale, cook until just wilted and season well.
6. To serve, place two mushrooms, an egg and some kale on each slice of toast. Sprinkle with shaved pecorino, parsley and lemon zest and squeeze over some lemon juice.
TIP: The confit garlic recipe makes more than you need for this dish –- keep the leftovers in the fridge and brush it over fish, chicken and other white meat.