Poached Egg, Prosciutto di San Daniele, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Arugula and White Balsamic Dressing

Poached Egg, Prosciutto di San Daniele, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Arugula and White Balsamic Dressing
Serves 2

I love every ingredient in this dish. How many times can you say that about a recipe? Like you, I have to enjoy what I eat, and if I can make it using fresh, healthy ingredients, that’s an added bonus. To me, healthy food is anything that has not been overly processed and has very few, if any, added ingredients.

If you look at the most popular fad diets at the moment like the Atkins, Zone, Ketogenic, Weight Watchers or South Beach, they ask you to either lower carbs or fat or eat more protein. If you want to be healthy, trim and fit, you don’t have to follow any restricting diet plan. Just eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, with moderate amounts of beans, seeds, whole grains and nuts. You don’t have to give up your animal proteins like red meats, chicken, fish, eggs, milk or cheese, just consume smaller amounts.

The same thing is true with carbs. Try to eat more complex carbs and not simple, sugar loaded cereals. Yes, you can still eat pasta, bread, rice or potatoes. Buy products with less than five ingredients in them, and look at the quality of the ingredients. Make sure every they are real food ingredients with no added chemicals like artificial flavorings, or colorants. You don’t want foods that are loaded with fat, sugar, or salt, which are added to make foods addictive and to keep them shelf stable.

In my opinion the biggest problem we face as far as health is that nobody cooks at home anymore. Taking simple unprocessed foods, preparing them and cooking them yourself is the best way to control the quality and amount of food you’re putting into your body.

Enough ranting and back to the recipe. You might think cured meat is bad for you. If you eat it every day in large amounts, I’d agree. Anything with such a high salt content will make you ill over a long period of time. However, I’m giving one slice of ham per person. We are adding a poached egg and a sharp but light and good quality white balsamic to cut through the fattiness of the meat. Parmigiano-Reggiano contributes a rich, creaminess that compliments all the flavors including the bitterness of the arugula. This dish is packed with flavor. It won’t make you feel guilty because the high-quality ingredients give it fabulous flavor.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 free range eggs
4 cups arugula
4 slices of Prosciutto di San Daniele
1 tablespoon grated or shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon good quality white balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper

How to make:
Take a medium saucepan, fill the pan half full with water and the tablespoon of white wine vinegar. Place the pan on the stove over a high heat. Bring the water to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer. Break the eggs one a time into the water to poach them for 3 to 4 minutes or until done to your liking.

Take two large plates and pile on the arugula, Prosciutto di San Daniele, and Parmigiano-Reggiano into the center of each plate. Place a warm poached egg on top of each pile of arugula.

Whisk together the oil and balsamic. Spoon over the egg. Finish with a good twist of freshly ground black pepper before serving.