Smoky mushroom and white-bean smash on sourdough with two poached eggs — a savoury breakfast at 31g protein.
Per serving
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 4 minutes, then stir and cook another 3 to 4 minutes until they release their water and turn deeply golden.
Push the mushrooms to one side. Add the minced garlic, thyme, smoked paprika, and tomato paste to the empty space. Stir for 1 minute, until the paste darkens.
Add the rinsed cannellini beans, vegetable stock, the 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp of the black pepper. Stir to combine and lower the heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes, mashing about a third of the beans against the side of the pan with the back of a spoon for a coarse smash.
Pour in the pasteurised liquid egg whites and stir continuously for 2 to 3 minutes — the whites must cook through completely with no glossy or runny patches before you stop stirring. Pull off the heat.
While the smash cooks, bring a wide deep skillet of water to a bare simmer (not a rolling boil — that tears the whites) and stir in the 15 ml white wine vinegar. Crack each egg into a small cup. Slide the eggs in 4 at a time, well spaced. Poach for 6 to 8 minutes — long enough that both the white and the yolk are firm right through. Lift onto a paper-towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon and repeat with the second batch of 4.
Toast the sourdough slices to deep golden in a toaster or hot dry skillet.
Pile the warm mushroom-bean smash onto each slice of toast, top with two firm-set poached eggs, scatter parsley, the remaining 1/4 tsp black pepper, and serve straight away.
Don't crowd the mushrooms — they steam and turn grey. A wide pan in a single layer is the move. The egg whites mixed into the smash are a protein booster and need full cooking — keep stirring until they look opaque and set, then stop.
Smash keeps 3 days in the fridge. Reheat in a saucepan with 2 tbsp water over low heat to 74°C. Poached eggs are best fresh — make the smash ahead, toast and poach in the morning. Do not freeze the eggs.
