Rainy Day Eggs

Last weekend Chicago was hit with four days amounting to record rainfall as the tail of Hurricane Ike washed over us. For me, the perfect antidote to a soaking city is Gosford Park and a plateful of eggs. But having recently dropped and broken my VHS copy of Altman's masterpiece I was forced to focus all my efforts on the eggs, and settle for a Dirty Jobs marathon (not such a travesty thanks to the always-charming Mike Rowe.)

I came across this lovely combination of poached eggs on Parmesan toast with Basil Pistou. It was simple and delightful. I have a forest of Basil growing in two terra cotta pots in my kitchen, which inspires me to find new ways of harvesting the leaves before Winter renders my perennials dull and fruitless. Pistou shares roots with its Italian counterpart derived from a line by Virgil, but the real difference between the two is that pine nuts make no appearance.

This meal requires no exact recipe. I simply processed a handful of basil with a few glugs of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and several cloves of garlic (though I believe only one is advisable.) I cut the remnants of last night’s baguette in half lengthwise, (though brioche or challah would be amazing) threw on some Parm Reg, and toasted the two. Bring a few inches of salted water to a simmer (with a splash of vinegar) and gently break the eggs into the water, poaching for about 3 minutes. Top your toast with the eggs, drizzle with Pistou, season, and be glad to enjoy the hurricane and Kelly MacDonald from the comfort of your couch.