sauteed swiss chard & leeks, fresh basil pesto & poached eggs on sourdough
We are just so excited! Charlotte & the Quail's very first journal entry...
Hayley and I (Lyndsey, hey, hi, you can find me recipe blogging over here too) have dreamed of working together more for almost two years now and our dreams finally came true. At the beginning of March, I came on as creative director for Charlotte & the Quail. We have big plans and ideas for our sweet little kitty cafe tucked in the garden oasis. And, as the days go on we will get into further details of exactly all these ideas.
If you aren't already following us on Instagram and Facebook come on over, it is where you will get the most up to date information on all the new comings. Ok, ok sneak peek..they shall include a larger retail section (with an online shop), workshops and events (lots coming for those warm summer months ahead of us), pop-up dinners, day-dreaming books (written by us truly), and of course this online journaling space where we plan on sharing all the yummiest recipes along with some special field trips we make! Our dreams are far and wide, but at the core, we want to sprinkle magic Charlotte dust over all the lands - because our hearts truly belong here and we know just how special our little place is and we want everyone to experience it one way or another.
We wanted to start our creative journey by first getting this journalling space up and going because we have so much to share with you and of course recipes was on the top of our list. Our plan for the recipes is pretty fun too. Each week we will be posting a recipe. You can make the recipe at home, or you can come into the cafe {wed-sun} and we will make it for you because it will be our weekly special!
We are pretty (extremely) lucky to have such an awesome & creative Chef, Victoria Leeson. She is a super star in all forms and is on board with all of our hopes and dreams - we wouldn't be able to do what we do without her, period. She is always one step ahead of us in all departments, goes along with our sometimes crazy banter and allows us to get as creative as we like.
This first journalling post is completely dedicated to her - we love you VIc! A few weekends ago we were on a leadership retreat with our sister company Nourish (Galiano getaway details here) On the last morning, while everyone else was running around trying to pack and clean up, Vic who like we said is always ahead of the game, was already done all of that (much earlier than anyone else) and was calm and cool in the kitchen whipping us up this crazy good breakfast with all the mismatched leftovers she could find.
What came out was not only healthy, it was madly delicious. Sautéed swiss chard & leeks, the freshest basil pesto, and perfectly poached eggs all sitting on top of crusty sourdough. Everyone devoured it. Hayley and I knew right then and there this had to be our first share.
A big thank you goes to Sun Wing Farms and Ravenhill Herb Farm for the freshest local farm ingredients to use in this recipe. We will be showcasing both farms in upcoming journal entries so watch out for those. They are truly magical little spots with all the best goods. We are so lucky to have them both near us at C&Q!
sautéed swiss chard & leeks with fresh basil pesto & poached eggs on sourdough
pesto
2 farm style bunches of basil
1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup walnuts
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of half a lemon
1 tsp of honey
1/2 tsp of salt (or to taste)
swiss chard
1 bunch of swiss chard
1 large leek
1 large shallot
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of butter
other
4 eggs
4 slices of sourdough
directions
in a large pan on medium heat add the olive oil and butter. finely chop the shallot and leeks and add to the pan to sauté for 10 minutes. roughly chop the swiss chard and add to the pan, sauté for another 5 minutes.
add enough water to come 1 inch up the side of a narrow, deep 2-quart sauce pan. bring to a simmer over medium heat. add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar to the water and bring it back to a simmer over medium heat.
gently crack the eggs into the simmering water one at a time.
let them poach: once you crack the eggs into the water, let them sit, don't poke at them. you can gently lift them from the bottom after a minute or so if they are sinking. We let our eggs simmer for about 5 minutes and find that is the perfect medium poach. adjust time accordingly to how you like your eggs poached.
remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and set onto a piece of paper towel.
in a food processor add all of the pesto ingredients except the olive oil. blitz the pesto then slowly add in the olive oil.
toast your sourdough, then add the sautéed swiss chard mixture, your poached eggs, top with pesto and fresh cracked pepper and serve.