Vera's Cookbook: Poached Egg and Brussels Sprouts Orzo

On one fine winter morning...

I woke up craving pasta. However, stuffing my tummy with pasta in the morning seemed too much, and definitely not a good idea. I opened the refrigerator and looked for something other than pasta... passing the pasta idea for lunch or dinner. There were brussels sprouts! My favorite ingredients in the cold season! I grabbed bacon as well - brussels sprout is perfect with bacon. Next, my eyes were fixed on eggs. Bacon and brussels sprout make a good side dish, but to make it a proper "breakfast," I needed eggs. :)

I was about to cook omelet with bacon & brussels sprout. Then, my urge for pasta kicked in again. "Hmm... maybe I can add some short pasta... like orzo".

Instead of making omelet I poached my eggs with a sous vide cooker (I used Anova). While the eggs were cooking, I sliced the brussels sprout thinly, almost like hash. Brussels sprout was sautéed with bacon, and mixed with cooked orzo to make it like warm pasta salad.

I didn't add much herbs to this recipe since I like my breakfast little blend side, but if you want to enjoy this recipe as a lunch or an appetizer, you can add more flavor by using chopped parsley, chives or scallion mixed with orzo. If you don't want to poach your egg, sunny side up eggs will work perfectly well.

Poached Egg and Brussels Sprouts Orzo
YIELD: 2 servings / COOKING TIME: 45 mins (ACTIVE COOKING TIME: 15 mins)

INGREDIENTS

+ 1-2 cloves of garlic
+ 30g onion
+ 40g bacon
+ 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
+ 75g brussels sprout
+ 30g orzo
+ two eggs
+ a pinch of smoked paprika
+ vegetable oil
+ salt / pepper

PROCEDURES

1. First, prep each ingredient:
- garlic: roughly chopped
- onion: cut in small dices
- bacon: slice into 1cm strips
- brussels sprout: thinly slice

2. I poached each egg in a sous vide machine (I use Anova at home). If you poach the eggs the traditional way in a simmering pot of water, poach the eggs in advance and warm up in hot water right before serving.

3. Over medium heat, sweat garlic and onion with a bit of vegetable oil.

4. Add bacon and continue cooking. Sprinkle red pepper flakes and continue cooking to infuse the pepper flakes with oil in the pan until the bacon start browning.