Like most people, soups are on heavy rotation at our house in the winter. I made this Cauliflower Soup with Toasted Garlic from a recipe in a recent Real Simple Magazine and a loaf of Jim Lahey’s wonderful No Knead Bread last Sunday. We had a few people over on Sunday night, so most of the bread was eaten up. I needed some inspiration for a quick side dish to make the leftovers into a square meal for supper on Monday night. Fortunately, the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living just arrived. I paged through it, and landed on a quick, simple and still luscious side dish, that made our cauliflower soup a satisfying meal–Sesame Toasts with Poached Egg and Avocado.
To the extent possible, I followed Martha Stewart’s recipe for Sesame Toasts with Poached Egg and Avocado, but for the arugula I subbed spinach, very lightly dressed with tarragon vinegar and olive oil and I subbed crunchy, toasted slices of No Knead Bread instead for Sesame Toast. I was able to duplicate the rest of the preparation using ingredients we had on hand. Yes, I treat our household to the purchase of fresh avocados almost every week. This is more of a reminder than a recipe, really. I occasionally need a reminder that eggs and avocado in their natural form are only a few minutes preparation away from becoming a sublimely luxurious, simple supper.This meal was on the table in minutes, was tasty and brought a little light into a dark winter evening. It works well with soup, or on its own, and it would also be wonderful for breakfast or lunch.