Warm Salad of Spring Vegetable Medley, Poached Egg, and Pancetta Vinaigrette
This salad will shine as a main dish for lunch or a light dinner. Some markets sell precooked fava beans; if you can’t find them, buy them in the pod, then blanch both the beans and the asparagus by boiling in salted water 2 to 3 minutes, until crisp-tender, then plunging immediately into cold water to stop the cooking.
Yield:
4 servingsIngredients
4 eggs
Pinch of salt
Dash of vinegar
Ice water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch scallions sliced diagonally into 1-inch pieces
6 ounces whole fresh morels
1 teaspoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup peeled, blanched fava beans
10 spears asparagus, sliced diagonally into 1-inch pieces and blanched
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups mixed greens
Vinaigrette:
4 ounces pancetta, diced
1 shallot, finely diced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
1⁄4 cup sherry vinegar
3⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
To poach the eggs: Bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and a dash of vinegar; turn heat down to a light simmer. Crack and drop each egg into boiling water; poach about 3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and place in ice water.
To make the vinaigrette: In a skillet, brown pancetta over medium heat until crispy, about 8 minutes. Place shallot, mustard, honey, and vinegar in a bowl; whisk gently. Next, add oil, whisking as you go. Then add half the pancetta and season with salt and pepper to taste.
For the vegetable medley: In a nonstick pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add scallions and cook 1 minute. Add the morels, shallot, and garlic; saut
