Kale With Chorizo and Poached Egg
by Nigella. Featured in HOW TO EATIntroduction
There is something so of-the-moment about this recipe, which is odd since it comes from a book published 20 years ago. I seem to remember also that I did a lot of wistful complaining in How To Eat about how unfashionable kale had become. I had virtually been brought up on it. I certainly never would have foretold its hipster blossoming.
I don’t use fresh chorizo sausages here, but generally I buy the dry-cured ones (not salami) that come in a ring or hoop, weighing around 200g / 8 ounces, and cut them in half.
As for the egg-poaching, I’m going to give you my method here, and you can use or ignore it as you wish: crack a large cold egg into a cup, add a teaspoon of lemon juice (or ½ teaspoon of cider vinegar or white wine vinegar) over the white; bring water to a delicate bubble (not boiling or anywhere near) and then slip in the egg, leaving behind the watery white that has collected in the bottom of the cup. Leave the water on low, or even switch it off, and cook the egg for about 5 minutes (for a runny yolk (though check at 4) and remove gently with a slotted spoon.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
There is something so of-the-moment about this recipe, which is odd since it comes from a book published 20 years ago. I seem to remember also that I did a lot of wistful complaining in How To Eat about how unfashionable kale had become. I had virtually been brought up on it. I certainly never would have foretold its hipster blossoming.
I don’t use fresh chorizo sausages here, but generally I buy the dry-cured ones (not salami) that come in a ring or hoop, weighing around 200g / 8 ounces, and cut them in half.
As for the egg-poaching, I’m going to give you my method here, and you can use or ignore it as you wish: crack a large cold egg into a cup, add a teaspoon of lemon juice (or ½ teaspoon of cider vinegar or white wine vinegar) over the white; bring water to a delicate bubble (not boiling or anywhere near) and then slip in the egg, leaving behind the watery white that has collected in the bottom of the cup. Leave the water on low, or even switch it off, and cook the egg for about 5 minutes (for a runny yolk (though check at 4) and remove gently with a slotted spoon.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Serves: 1
- 175g kale or 100 grams prepared kale leaves
- 100 grams dry cured chorizo sausage (the sort that often comes in hoops, and see intro)
- 1 x 15ml tablespoon olive oil
- 1 egg
- 6 ounces kale or 4 ounces / 3½ cups prepared kale leaves
- 4 ounces dry cured chorizo sausage (the sort that often comes in hoops, and see intro)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 egg
Method
- Put some water on to boil and when it boils, add salt. Remove the curly leaves of kale from the fibrous stems and tear the leaves into smallish pieces.
- Cut the chorizo into slices about ½ to 1cm (¼ to ½ inch) thick and then cut these slices into quarters so that you have, finally, a chopping board heaped with oily orange confetti.
- Put the kale into the boiling salted water and cook till tenderish (kale is never going to be that tender and certainly shouldn’t be floppy), which will take 5–7 minutes depending on its age.
- Put 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy-bottomed, deepish frying pan (or wok) and cook the chorizo pieces for a few minutes, stirring and pressing with a wooden spoon or spatula so that the paprika-red fat oozes out as the sausage cooks: 3 or so minutes should be fine.
- While all this is going on you should, as well as keeping an eye on the kale, be putting a pan of water on to poach the egg. In How To Eat, I confessed to using that much despised thing, a shop-bought egg poaching pan with moulds. Now, I poach eggs properly without anxiety, and if you’re interested in my method (though you might well be very happy with your own) see recipe intro.
- Drain the kale well and then stir into the chorizo. Put the egg in to poach and when it is ready, turn the orange-spliced kale on to a plate or bowl and add the poached egg on top.
- Put some water on to boil and when it boils, add salt. Remove the curly leaves of kale from the fibrous stems and tear the leaves into smallish pieces.
- Cut the chorizo into slices about ½ to 1cm (¼ to ½ inch) thick and then cut these slices into quarters so that you have, finally, a chopping board heaped with oily orange confetti.
- Put the kale into the boiling salted water and cook till tenderish (kale is never going to be that tender and certainly shouldn’t be floppy), which will take 5–7 minutes depending on its age.
- Put 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy-bottomed, deepish frying pan (or wok) and cook the chorizo pieces for a few minutes, stirring and pressing with a wooden spoon or spatula so that the paprika-red fat oozes out as the sausage cooks: 3 or so minutes should be fine.
- While all this is going on you should, as well as keeping an eye on the kale, be putting a pan of water on to poach the egg. In How To Eat, I confessed to using that much despised thing, a shop-bought egg poaching pan with moulds. Now, I poach eggs properly without anxiety, and if you’re interested in my method (though you might well be very happy with your own) see recipe intro.
- Drain the kale well and then stir into the chorizo. Put the egg in to poach and when it is ready, turn the orange-spliced kale on to a plate or bowl and add the poached egg on top.
Additional Information
This recipe from HOW TO EAT has been adapted for online purposes.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
It is not advisable to make ahead/store.
This recipe from HOW TO EAT has been adapted for online purposes.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
It is not advisable to make ahead/store.
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What 2 Others have said
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Posted by jvallas on 11th February 2024
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Posted by Pgmooney on 2nd April 2020
Show more commentsYour egg - the cup method - I love it! I've for some time used the technique of straining for a few seconds, but now I see I don't have to bother with the strainer. It's not a big deal, but a cup is easier than a strainer to when it comes to removing runny egg white.
If you grow Kale and don't know what to do with it, this is a great recipe for a quick meal as there is only three ingredients! I make this fairly regularly to use up excess kale and before the kale gets ravaged by the green caterpillars at the end of summer!