Get a vitamin D boost the tasty way with a traditional eggs Florentine recipe prepared with spinach and poached eggs, topped with creamy hollandaise sauce on a big brown Portabello mushroom.

Eggs Florentine ingredients

  • 4 large portabello mushrooms
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed into a paste
  • 200 g swiss chard, roughly chopped
  • 100 g smoked salmon or trout

Hollandaise ingredients

  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 tsp water
  • 2 lemons, juiced or freshly squeezed
  • 115 g butter
  • 1 pinch of salt

To serve

  • Fresh chives chopped
  • Lemon wedges
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Olive oil for cooking

Did you know that mushrooms are the only plant food that naturally contains vitamin D and can therefore make and increase their vitamin D content? To increase the vitamin D content in mushrooms, expose them to sunlight. Simply pop your newly bought punnet of fresh mushrooms onto a windowsill for 60 minutes, and presto – vitamin D-enriched mushrooms.

Instructions for the mushrooms

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  2. Place the mushrooms on a baking tray.
  3. Drizzle with olive oil, brush with garlic and season well with salt and pepper.
  4. Bake for ± 10 minutes until tender.
  5. Meanwhile, heat another drizzle of olive oil in a medium-sized pan.
  6. Add the swiss chard and sauté just until the chard has wilted.

Instructions for the poached eggs

  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
  2. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
  3. Crack eggs, one at a time, into separate bowls.
  4. Swirl the water into a gentle vortex.
  5. Gently slip the eggs one by one into the boiling water.
  6. Cook for about 3 minutes each for soft poached eggs.
  7. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the poached eggs out of the water and place on paper towel to drain.

Instructions for the hollandaise

  1. Find a jug that snugly fits the head of a stick blender.
  2. Combine the egg yolks, water, lemon juice and a pinch of salt in the bottom of the jug.
  3. Melt butter in a small saucepan over high heat, until bubbling.
  4. Remove from the heat.
  5. Place the head of the stick blender into the bottom of the cup and turn it on.
  6. With the blender constantly going, slowly drizzle the hot butter into the jug.
  7. Continue pouring until you have used all the butter and the sauce is thick and emulsified.
  8. Taste to adjust seasoning.

Serving instructions

  1. Divide the chard equally on top of the portabello mushrooms.
  2. Follow with the salmon, a squeeze of lemon juice then top each with a poached egg.
  3. Spoon over the hollandaise sauce and sprinkle with chives, salt and pepper.
  4. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Image and recipe supplied by The South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association