Sauted Mushrooms with Lentils and Poached Eggs
Lentils are a perfect alternative to meat and very cost effective. This dish is great for brunch, lunch or supper.
Serves 4
ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
500 grams tightly closed button mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon paprika, sweet smoked or plain
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 x 400 gram tin crushed Italian tomatoes
1⁄4 cup water
1 x 400 gram tin cooked brown lentils, drained
1⁄4 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
To serve
4 slices of grilled bread
4 poached eggs
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan until hot but not smoking. Add the mushrooms and cook over a high heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep the heat high to ensure the mushrooms don’t release excess liquid. They will take on a lovely smoky flavor and deep golden colour. Add the onion, season well and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme, garlic, paprika, cinnamon, tomatoes and water. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the lentils and flat-leaf parsley and cook for 2 minutes.
To serve: Place the grilled bread on serving plates. Top with the mushroom mixture and a poached egg. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season.
The mushroom and lentil mixture can be made 2 days ahead – cover and refrigerate. Reheat before serving.
