Soft Boiled Eggs, Bresaola, Artichokes and Dukka

, from Issue #21. September, 2015
Photography by Aaron McLean.
Soft Boiled Eggs, Bresaola, Artichokes and Dukka

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

8 very fresh, free-range eggs at room temperature
1⁄4 cup dukka*
12 slices bresaola** or prosciutto
250 gram jar grilled artichokes in oil, drained
small loaf pide bread, sliced into long fingers
olive oil
1⁄4 cup baby salad leaves or herbs
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Dukka
4 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1⁄2 cup sesame seeds
1⁄2 cup hazelnuts
1 teaspoon sea salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

METHOD

Dukka: Preheat the oven to 180°C. Put the hazelnuts in a baking dish and roast until the skins start to burst and the nuts are golden. Place in a clean tea towel and rub vigorously to remove most of the skin.

Toast the seeds separately in a dry sauté pan until fragrant and golden. Cool.

Grind the coriander and cumin seeds in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and tip into a bowl. Roughly grind the sesame seeds then the hazelnuts, keeping some of it quite chunky. Combine with the spices, sea salt and pepper. Store in an airtight jar.

Place the eggs in a saucepan of cold water and cook for 3 minutes from when the water starts to boil. Briefly place under cold running water until cool enough to handle then peel carefully.

Grill or toast the pide.

To serve: Arrange the bresaola and artichokes on serving plates. Break the eggs in half, allowing two eggs per serving and add to the plates. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with dukka. Scatter over the salad leaves and serve with the pide toast. 

* As an alternative to making your own, dukka can be purchased at food stores and good supermarkets.

** Bresaola: a cured, air-dried beef (sometimes venison) which originated in the north of Italy. Available from specialty food stores.