Eggs poached in pinotage with red wine reduction recipe by Abri Beeslaar paired with Kanonkop Pinotage wine.
Ingredients
6-8 free-range eggs, at room temperature
750 ml Kanonkop Pinotage (the youngest vintage)
500 ml stock ('I use Ina Paarman liquid stock, one each of chicken and vegetable')
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
1 stick celery, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
bouquet garni (rosemary, bay, parsley, and thyme)
2.5 ml black peppercorns
60 ml Kanonkop Ruby ('or any other Ruby port')
30 ml butter
125 g brown mushrooms, diced
thick rashers streaky bacon, diced
15-20 small pickling onions
olive oil and butter for frying
8 slices of white bread, trimmed to form rounds
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Recipe
Serves 6-8
Take a large, deep saucepan and bring the stock and the wine to a vigorous boil. ('This burns off the alcohol but leaves the flavour.')
Give the water a quick stir. Carefully break open an egg, one at a time, in one of the spinning eddies of boiling water. ('Be warned: this takes practice and I sometimes struggle with it. If the eggs keep breaking or the whites form long, spindly threads, lower a deep spoon or round soup ladle into the boiling liquid and break the egg into the liquid in the spoon. Once the egg white has assumed its shape, you can slide the spoon out from under it.')
Poach the eggs until yolks are firm, but still runny. Lift the eggs out with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate covered with paper towels to drain. Keep warm in a warming drawer. Alternatively, they can be made up to 12 hours in advance and kept on an ice bath.
Once all the eggs are done, add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bouquet garni, and peppercorns to the poaching liquid. Then add the port. Simmer until reduced by half (about 30 minutes or until of a dripping consistency).
In the meantime, in a small pan, melt 15 ml of the butter and gently sauté the mushrooms for 3-4 minutes. Remove the mushrooms, add the remaining butter and fry the bacon bits until browned. Remove the bacon, add the pickling onions and saute for iS-20 minutes, or until golden and soft.
Strain the red wine and port stock reduction and reheat or keep hot.
In a large frying pan, add a dab of butter and a dash of olive oil. When heated and sizzling, fry the bread rounds on both sides until golden brown.
Place a poached egg on top of each bread round, sprinkle with mushroom and bacon bits add a pickling onion or two on the side, and spoon over some hot red wine and port sauce. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Wine Pairing
Kanonkop Pinotage
Cook’s Tip
'Don't be put off if the eggs turn a livery blue colour; the colour will depend on the wine you use.'