FOOD QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Poaching Eggs and Puto Breakfast Stack

The egg is one oft-abused poultry product when it comes to dirty Pinoy jokes and in the Pinoy kitchen, it is commonly cooked in the fried form- boiled, scrambled, sunny side up omelette- or as part of the all-time favorite dessert- the Leche flan.

The poached egg  is a rarity and served only to sick or old family members. But if you mix it with ingredients you usually have with sunny side up eggs- it is the healthier dish. The Puto Breakfast Stack though leans more toward the tasty than the healthy.

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PUTO BREAKFAST STACK
Ingredients:
- 1 White puto (steamed rice cake)
- 1 slice cheddar cheese
- 1 poached egg
- 1/2  tsp. salted butter

To make, simply stack the cheese, poached egg and salted butter on the puto. Slice into the egg as you serve.

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Now that was relatively easy. Let's get on to the hard part- poaching an egg.

I did a bit of research and found several ways to do it- by using a saran wrap, by using a ladle and the the traditional way of simply dropping an egg into a boiling pot of water and mixing furiously. I tried all of these. I ended up poaching several dozens of eggs and found myself an easy way.

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MIKE'S EASY POACHING METHOD

Crack an egg on a ladle

In a 6-inch frying pan, let water boil to a roll. once it boils, gently place the egg in the pan.

Swirl the water, as done traditionally. once the egg white hardens, lift the egg with a slotted spoon

Here's how the poached egg should look like

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SARAN WRAP POACHING

In a bowl, place a square piece of saran wrap.  Crack an egg into the wrap.

Tie the wrap up. In a pan, let water boil to a roll and place the saran-wrapped egg.

Once the egg white hardens, take it out of the water.

Cut the plastic off

And this is what the poached egg will look like.

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LADLE POACHING

Crack an egg into a ladle

In a pan, let water boil. Before it comes to a rolling boil, put the ladled into the pan.

Once the egg white hardens, lift it out of the water and scrape it off the ladle.

This is how it should look like

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Reminders:

1. If the eggs are not very fresh, you  may mix 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon vinegar for every quart of water used. This is not to enahce the taste of the egg but rather to help the the egg whites coagulate better.

2. Simmering time- 3-5 minutes, Make sure the water is hot and bubbling slightly.

3. Always drain the water, before serving the egg.

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Vienna Sausage omelette

Quick lunch almost often means food delivery or omelette for me, if there are eggs available. It goes well with rice or hot pan de sal, topped with ketchup and mayonnaise.

Here's my version:

VIENNA SAUSAGE  OMELETTE

Ingredients:
1 small can vienna sausage, sliced into 1/2 cm thick
4 eggs, beaten
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 small onion, finely minced
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the garlic and onions. When the onion has turned translucent, place the sausage and pour the beaten eggs into the pan. Turn over when one side is already golden brown.

Just a quick trivia about this favorite canned sausage: it is a kind of hotdog and is called a Würstl in Vienna, Austria. The Germans call it a Wiener, which translates to "Viennese".