Poached Eggs & Caponata

I love, love, love poached eggs. I like the way I make them the best, but if they're on a menu in a restaurant, I'll usually order them, too. Most of the time I just simmer them in a shallow pan of water, but sometimes I feel like getting a little fancy and swirling them a la chef style. This past weekend I was in just such a mood.

I got out my deep saucepan, added a generous glug of white vinegar (crucial!) and set to swirling the water.

I dropped each bad boy in there individually and used a spatula to keep things moving. In less than 2 minutes they were ready to eat!

I had some stovetop espresso bubbling away while I made the eggs--and everything was ready in a matter of minutes. Cooking at home does not have to take forever! Sometimes it can, and sometimes even that's fun, but today it was all about delicious food, fast!

ABF & I sampled some Trader Joe's caponata on our most recent visit, and I liked it so much (despite my ambivalence re: eggplant) that I brought a jar home. I decided to use this as a bed, sort of a shakshuka/rancheros nod. I used just a few tablespoons as a bed for the perfectly poached eggs. Yum.

It was pretty darn delicious, though the sugar in the caponata was a little too pronounced for me. I'd also recommend heating it up next time--I wish I'd waited a little longer for it warm up a bit more. That would have gone a little better with the piping-hot poached eggs. I might have to make these again very, very soon.