posts may contain Amazon affiliate links, which earn me a small commission when you buy (but doesn't cost you anything extra). Occasionally I receive free products and/or run sponsored posts—this will always be stated clearly in the post. Thank you for supporting this blog.

This website contains some quotations, excerpts, and screen clips from copyrighted material. These uses fall well within the copyright doctrine of "Fair Use".
Saturday, May 21, 2011

Warm Bread, Pancetta, & Poached Egg Salad w/ Parmesan

I think that greens salads with warm components are probably my favorite types of salads to eat.  Give me a good Spinach Salad w/ a Bacony-Vinegary dressing...or a Salad with warm roasted squash & a warm maple-spiked dressing like my favorite autumn/winter salad...or even a salad in the middle of summer with some veggies or meat straight off the grill right on top of it.  That said, I like crisp, fresh salads, too...but salads tossed with warm things scream "full meal" to me!  This one is particularly satisfying with crunchy, chewy chunks of warm bread and salty crisps of pancetta over tender young greens and a warm, sunny yolk finding its way down through all the nooks and crannies.  Good Day, Sunshine....
Warm Bread, Pancetta, & Poached Egg Salad w/ Parmesan
adapted from Happy Days with the Naked Chef
serves 4

1 loaf Ciabatta bread (or another crusty, airy bread)
extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced paper thin
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
12 slices pancetta
juice of 1 lemon
4 eggs (plus water & white vinegar for poaching)
4 large handfuls mixed baby greens & lettuces
Parmesan Cheese (part of a wedge)

Preheat oven to 400° F.  Cut bread into cubes then drizzle with olive oil.  Add garlic and season with some salt and pepper then toss it all to combine.  Spread out onto a baking sheet and pop into the oven for ~10 minutes, or until it has started to get golden edges.  Lay the slices of prosciutto on the tray with (or right on top of) the bread and cook another 5-10 minutes until everything is crisp.

Meanwhile, combine lemon juice w/ some olive oil (about 3 parts oil to 1 part lemon juice), then season with salt and pepper and whisk or shake to combine (I am partial to putting it all in a little jar and shaking it up).

Put a small pot of water on to boil and pour in a slug of white vinegar (this helps the poached eggs hold their shape).  Crack your eggs into a small dish or cup for sliding (one per dish/at a time).  Turn the heat down until it barely bubbles and carefully slide your eggs in one at a time.  Cook for ~4 minutes for a runny yolk.  Lift out with a slotted spoon and set it on a kitchen towel to drain.

Toss your dressing with your lettuces and the bread and pancetta from the oven.  Divide evenly among plates, then top each with a poached egg and use a veggie peeler to shave as much Parmesan as you'd like over each salad.
IHCCJamieOliver

I am sharing this post with:
*IHCC: it's another POTLUCK w/ Jamie this week!
*Yeastspotting!
Souper_Sundays2 seasonal saturday s@1 ybr long


Would you like to comment?

  1. Wow - I wish I had a big plate of this fabulous dish in front of me right now! YUM!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Those eggs are perfectly done - a perfect combination of flavors.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I agree, those are perfectly cooked eggs. I'll take this for lunch, please!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love poached eggs and this dish look perfect and yummy! gloria

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your poached eggs look wonderful! This would be such a lovely dish for brunch :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Bread, eggs and fresh greens and awesome dressing what more can I ask for. This salad looks delish, I can try them without pancetta.

    ReplyDelete
  7. That is beautiful. Pancetta is the perfect meat for a salad like this.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love warm salads also...they just feel so much more like a real meal! This one looks delicious...love those poached eggs!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've never had drippy egg on salad but I can imagine it being amazing. If I could successfully poach an egg I'd definitely try it.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I really, really have to make this one. And soon!
    Looks fantastic.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wonderful platter,delicious and yummy..

    ReplyDelete
  12. Well you know anything with a poached egg gets nt attention. Beautiful salad Heather.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Happy weekend! Don't forget to come over and share a recipe at Savory Sunday!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a beautiful salad.The poached egg on top just makes this.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Poached Eggs, Pancetta and bread. It is a win, win, win situation. Just the thought of this meal makes me smile :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Better than plain old eggs benedict any day. Fabulous photos!

    ReplyDelete
  17. i made this for my mom right after seeing this post, and she just love it!! LOL! thank you for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete
  18. "This one is particularly satisfying with crunchy, chewy chunks of warm bread and salty crisps of pancetta over tender young greens and a warm, sunny yolk finding its way down through all the nooks and crannies."
    The way you described it right there was food poetry! (AND IT MADE ME DROOL!) There are some amazing salads being posted lately, and I want to try them all!
    Viva Spring!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Gorgeous - I love this kind of warm salad.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Mmmmm....beautiful photos of one of my favorite salads. Had something similar last night for dinner with frisee! Thank you for this post!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Beautiful salad! Though I'd have to go without the egg. I have weird issues with drippy eggs. But the "chewy chunks of warm bread" I could more than handle. In fact, I'd probably take more than my fair share. Well, there's no probably about it.

    ReplyDelete
  22. OK--YUM! I love salads with runny eggs and warm components. So much more interesting than a plain old salad. Great pick--thanks for sharing it with Souper Sundays. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Okay, dare I say that I love pancetta more than bacon AND those homemade croutons are making me drool! Love these kinds of salads too.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Yeah baby! I want this for breakfast. How is it that the simple task of putting a perfectly-cooked egg on top of a meal makes it divine? Delish!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I want to marry you!! This salad would be the perfect way to my heart - I could eat this for a meal every night of the week. I love a salad for a main meal, and I agree it needs a warm component. This has the perfect balance of fresh leaves and warm bits, crunchy bits and chewy bits, and gooey, drippy, oozy bits. Love it.
    Sue xo

    ReplyDelete
  26. Now that is a thing of beauty. Breakfast of champions. YUM!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Heather your salad is making my mouth water! I too could eat this year round with your different variations. Perfection on a plate! Thanks for participating in this month's YBR :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. What a great salad! I love it! And being Italian, pancetta and parmigiano are among my favorite ingredients! So glad to have seen this through YBR!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Just saw this on YBR and I love everything about this salad! I too enjoy a warm component in my salad, even if it's something as basic as grilled chicken. Great photos too! I will be making this very soon. So glad to have found your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  30. This is one gorgeous salad - the flavors and textures are a lovely balance and the egg oozing its goodness, perfectly done!

    ReplyDelete