Green Egg and Ham Pasta

The yolk was a bit too runny as I only poached the egg for 2 minutes.

I haven't made this Dr. Seuss' pasta for a long time. Last weekend when I was wondering what vegetables to pick up from the supermarket, that big bag of baby spinach reminded me of the dish again.
You can use regular fresh spinach as it will be blended anyway. Just wash and chop them before cooking. Frozen spinach will work fine too; thaw and squeeze out the excess water before cooking. The ham can be eliminated or substituted with other meat. If you do not want to feed raw eggs to kids, fully poach the egg or scramble, dice then mix into the pasta at the end. 

Here is the Green Egg and Ham Pasta from my kitchen:

Ingredients

1 box of pasta (yields 6 adult servings)

1 lb. of ham, diced (I used Kielbasa Coil here)

1 lb. of pre-washed baby spinach

1 yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

3/4 cup of cream

3/4 cup of broth or water (I used my homemade broth)

1 egg per person

Vinegar (for poaching eggs)

Salt to taste

How

1. Cook the pasta in accordance with the instructions on the box. Drain and set aside.
2. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. Add some vegetable oil into a heated deep pan or pot, cook the onion on medium heat until translucent.
   
3. Add half of the spinach into the pan. Keep folding the spinach into the onion until it is all wilted. Repeat the same for the remaining spinach.
   
4. Turn the heat to high and add cream and broth/water. Mix well and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat to low and let it simmer for 3 minutes.
   
5. Remove the sauce from the heat. Use a hand held blender, blend the spinach and sauce until smooth.  If you are using a pan, you may want to transfer the mixture to a pot before blending it to avoid splashing. Or use a blender to do the job.
   
6. If you used a blender, when done, pour the sauce back to the pot or pan. Add the pasta and mix well then turn on the heat. Bring it to a boil then turn the heat down to low. Remember to add the pasta before turning on the heat as the thick sauce splashes if heated up alone.
7. Add ham and Parmesan cheese then mix well. Add salt to taste then turn off the heat. Leave the pasta in the pot to keep warm until you are ready to serve.
   
8. To poach the eggs, you have to do it one at a time. Fill a small pot with water up to half and add a splash of vinegar. Heat up the water just before it boils then turn the heat to low.
9. Carefully crack one egg in a small bowl. Gently and slowly pour the egg into the hot water. Pour it as close to the hot water as possible. Don't drop it from high above.
   
10. Use a spatula, carefully fold the outside of the runny egg white over the yolk. Gently separate the egg from the bottom of the pan to avoid it sticking then leave it alone and let it poach for 3 minutes. Make sure the water does not boil.
11. To serve, have the pasta ready in a serving bowl. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out the egg from the water. Drain, then place the egg on top of the pasta. The pasta has to be ready in a single serving bowl for the poached egg because you cannot transfer the poached eggs from one place to another. You can get the bowl of pasta ready while waiting for the egg to poach. Serve hot.