For the last couple of days, there’s been bread on our counter, formerly fantastic bread from the Anjou Bakery, thanks to my friend Kathryn. I say formerly because I had been unable to eat the entire loaf by myself and the bread was quickly going stale. Hoping not to let it go to waste, I decided to make a variation on Italian bread salad. Usually bread salad includes veggies, but I wanted eggs and prosciutto last night.

Inspiration hit. Why not crisp up the prosciutto a little bit, poach an egg and make a fun Mediterranean take on ham and eggs on toast? Letting the bread soak in a bit of my crude dressing made me forget that the bread really was aging. The runny yolk from my poached egg, combined with the dressing to nicely flavor everything. With the lightly crisped prosciutto this quick meal really hit the spot. Although, I did feel like I should have added a vegetable or two.

Recipe

Egg and Prosciutto Bread Salad

About 4 cups cubed French or Italian bread

1/2 cup pitted, torn kalamata olives

1/2 cup diced fresh mozzarella cheese

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

fresh ground black pepper to taste

4 slices prosciutto ham, cut into 2 to 3 inch strips

4 eggs, poached

Drizzle bread cubes with olive oil and red wine vinegar and let it sit until bread has soaked up some of the dressing. Add fresh-ground black pepper to taste, diced fresh mozzarella cheese and kalamata olive pieces. Place ham strips in a pan over medium-high heat until edges begin to crisp. Add to bread mixture. Divide into 4 servings and top each off with a soft poached egg.

Yield: 4 servings