Ingredients
- 1 egg
- Toast
- Salt
- Special equipment: 1 matchstick
Directions
And no, I'm not going to give a recipe for a boiled egg, but I do feel it's worth reminding you that if the egg is fridge-cold it should go into the pan along with the cold water when you put it on the stove, but if it's at room temperature - which is better - you should lower it into the water once it's started boiling. How long you want to cook it for is obviously up to you, but a beautiful, oozingly golden yolked egg had 4 minutes, as indeed mine does every morning. I also throw in a matchstick - rather than the teaspoon of vinegar or salt that some people swear by - but just because my great aunt always did and told me that it stopped the white cloudy substance flowing out should the egg crack while cooking. I think it does work, but I do it because I've always done it, not because I have scientific proof that it's effective.
And that's the thing about breakfast: there is a strong ritualistic element; that, too, brings it in line with feasting in general. I have the same breakfast every day. Early mornings are bad enough without having the spectre of choice to haunt you too. First thing in the morning, I'd rather make breakfast than a decision and so I only ever swerve from this out of whim or, occasionally, dietary restraint.
And like everyone with a weak need to be bound by habitual behaviour, I am irritatingly fussy. I want my egg to be Italian (free-range, organic and imported from Bologna, if you please: but seeing it, you understand why Italians refer to the yolks as 'I rossi' - 'the reds' of the egg). I want my salt to be Maldon and I want my sourdough bread to come from the Poilane bakery down the road. As ever, the butter has to be pale and unsalted and not fridge-cold, but not all sloppy-soft and oily either. I don't mind having a different breakfast, but I don't want a lesser version of the same one. Maybe it's my age.
I know it is the convention to offer various savoury delights for the breakfast table but in all honesty I can't oblige. My feeling is simply this: apart from the iconic ideal of the boiled egg and soldiers, what could be better than fried eggs and bacon, poached eggs on toast, scrambled egg with sausages? Yes, as Lord Lambton memorably said when found with 2 hookers, 1 black, 1 white, we all want variety, but I don't see fiddling about with the basic components of a traditional breakfast to make strange and wonderful cheesey-bacony-eggy-bready concoctions ultimately that satisfying.
Photo: Boiled Egg and Toast Recipe
















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By cupcake absolute
Near Yorktown,VA.
on July 28, 2011
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Nigella Lawson represents a Time, When We took Time to Eat.The fact each Recipe comes with an Essay, soothes My addled Mind. Helps to have Construction from very Start of the Day.Always enjoy these Stories. This is a Lovely,Delicious Egg. Prepared Simply and "Toast Soilders" are Wonderfull for dipping into the eggy yolk. Miss Lawson, again, Simply Divine Elegance. Wish Still on FoodNetwork~not Cooking Channel!
By The Brewchief
Austin, Texas
on April 19, 2011
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This was a nice little essay on the pleasures of a simple, traditional breakfast and its comforts. I'm not nearly as fussy when it comes to ingredients as Nigella apparently is (but I do prefer organic foods that come from animals that have not been given hormones of feed made from genetically modified crops and I don't require imported eggs, but organic is always a good investment for the body (you only get one!.
As for eggs, I agree with the soft-boiled method. For me, few things are as soulfully satisfying when it comes to food as a warm, runny yolk from a fried or poached egg, just oozing onto toast or enchiladas like a savory syrup, or carefully opened up on top with the tines of a fork and dipped into with a slice of bacon, breakfast sausage, or toast. mmMercy!
By tboettcher12_48...
Loganville, GA
on May 10, 2010
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This was so easy and so good. I can easily seeing this become a breakfast favorite. Thank you for putting it on your show and the recipe online. I love to cook, but I don't know much about cooking eggs. After seeing you make this egg on your show, I just had to try it, but I couldn't remember how long to cook it for. It lived up to description, and it will be breakfast tomorrow morning as well.
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