Tender by Lucy Tweed: Chorizo and butter bean stew is creamy and rich underneath a poached egg for breakfast

I realise I possibly sit in a minority group when I state this, but the fascination people have with a smoky baked bean does not sing the same song to my soul. However, this delightfully creamy, rich bean and chorizo stew hits all the benchmarks for what I want to see underneath the lacy whites and liquid gold yolk of a poached egg in the morning.

Chorizo and butter bean stew

2 tbsp olive oil

2 chorizo sausages (about 250g–300g in total), sliced into thick coins

1 brown onion, finely chopped

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp sweet paprika

2 tbsp sherry vinegar

800g tinned butter beans, drained and rinsed

400ml chicken stock

100ml pouring cream

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, plus extra whole leaves to serve

1 bunch oregano, leaves picked and finely chopped, plus extra to serve

Salt

4 eggs

4 slices sourdough bread, grilled or toasted

Preparation

Step 1 Heat the olive oil in a large deep frying pan over medium heat. Fry the chorizo until golden and the oil is tinted orange, about 10 minutes.

Step 2 Scoop out the chorizo and set aside, leaving the oil in the pan. Add the onion to the pan and cook for 5–7 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and paprika and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

Step 3 Splash in the sherry vinegar and stir quickly to de-glaze the pan. Add the butter beans and toss them through the flavoured oil for 2–3 minutes.

Step 4 Pour in the chicken stock and simmer gently for 10 minutes until slightly reduced. Stir in the cream and return the chorizo to the pan. Simmer for another 5 minutes until thickened slightly.

Step 5 Stir through the chopped parsley and oregano, and season with salt.

Step 6 Poach the eggs in a pan of simmering water until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, 3–5 minutes (see Hints).

Step 7 Spoon the stew on to grilled sourdough. Top each serving with a poached egg and scatter with extra oregano and parsley leaves. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Serves 4

Cook time: 30 minutes

Hints

• For perfectly poached eggs, crack each egg into a ramekin first, then slip it gently into a pan of barely simmering water with a splash of vinegar.

• You can prep the bean stew the day before and reheat gently before serving.

• Try this with toasted Turkish bread or flatbread instead of sourdough for a different texture.

Extracted from Tender by Lucy Tweed. Photography by Rob Palmer, Murdoch Books, $39.99