Ramsoms salad with a poached egg

Ramsoms salad with a poached egg

To continue my theme from a couple of weeks ago, the use of ramsoms, or wild garlic, is sadly under-known. However, just as with asparagus, we’re still in the season for the stuff and it’s a free food. Found in woodland, often near rivers, you should be able to find it by following your nose. Use the leaves which give off the unmistakable odour of normal garlic when crushed between your fingers.

Here we use it served with a poached egg in a salad mixed with other leaves. But it could be mixed in any salad or served as a vegetable, cooked like spinach.

Serves two

Two fresh free-range eggs

A couple of handfuls of mixed salad leaves – torn to bite-size pieces

A couple of handfuls of wild garlic leaves – again torn

Two teaspoons of vinaigrette

A couple of handfuls of cubed bread

Rapeseed or olive oil

Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (gas mark 6)

Place the bread in a bowl, sprinkle over a little oil and some salt and pepper and toss to coat. Place them on a baking tray and bake in the oven for five to ten minutes until golden brown.

Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil and add a little salt. Break the egg into a cup. Using a large spoon, swirl the water in the pan until you’ve got a whirlpool. While it’s still spinning, pour the egg into the middle and turn the heat very low. Place a lid on the pan and leave to cook for three minutes after which you should have a runny yoke with the white set all around it.

During the three minutes cooking time, place the salad leaves and wild garlic into a bowl, spoon aver the vinaigrette and toss.

To serve, pile the dressed salad onto a plate, scatter the still-hot croutons over and around and, using a slotted spoon, lift the egg from the water, rest on a kitchen towel to remove excess water and then place on the top of the salad leaves. 

May 2011