It’s day 4 of the #EVOOChallenge. This challenge, in which we make foods with the only cooking fat being olive oil, was issued by Spartan Olive Oil. The goal is to highlight the benefits of using olive oil over its less healthy counterparts, I’m looking at you butter and vegetable oil. Search the hashtag on social media to see more great recipes!

While both olive oil and vegetable oil have 120 Calories and 14 grams of fat per tbsp, olive oil has 10 grams of monounsaturated fat (the good fat) whereas vegetable oil has only 3 grams of monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fat is actually good for your health; it reduces bad cholesterol and provides vitamin E. (Source: American Heart Association)

This unfiltered extra-virgin olive oil is made from the olives of 700 year old trees in Sparta, Greece. The flavorful oil has a rich golden color and smooth texture. I wanted to highlight the nutty, fruity flavor of the oil in my recipes this week.

Today’s recipe comes from Brunch at Bobby’s. This brunch is the 4th recipe we’ve made from this book and we’ve only had it since Christmas. (Remember that incredible Croissant French Toast? I feel like a spokesperson for this incredible cookbook. I should be getting paid!) How could I pass up the opportunity to stretch my culinary muscles by poaching eggs in olive oil?! I even went ahead and experimented with mustard seeds for the tomato relish recommended. I don’t even like eggs and I devoured two open faced sandwiches for lunch! As if the texture combinations between crispy pancetta and silky eggs isn’t enough, there’s a boost of flavor from the relish.

Olive Oil Poached Eggs with Tomato Relish

Ingredients:

• 8 thin slices of pancetta
• 4 thick slices of sourdough bread, toasted
• 1 C plus 3 tbsp olive oil, divided use
• 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
• 1/2 pt cherry tomatoes, quartered
• pinch of sugar
• splash of red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley (I used Gourmet Garden lightly dried herbs)
• 2 tbsp chopped chives (I used Gourmet Garden lightly dried herbs)
• 4 eggs

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place pancetta on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until crispy, flipping halfway through.
2. Make the relish: Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat, add the mustard seeds and cook until they start to pop. Add the tomatoes, sugar, and vinegar. Mix in the parsley and chives. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Heat the remaining 1 C of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat, until it reaches 140 degrees F. Crack each egg into a ramekin and slide them into the oil, one at a time. Poach until the yolks are almost set, 3-5 minutes.
4. Assemble: Place each egg on a slice of toasted sourdough, sprinkle with S+P. Top with 2 pieces of crispy pancetta and some of the tomato relish. Garnish with fresh parsley.

*This recipe is adapted from Brunch at Bobby’s*

Disclaimer 1: By participating in this 5 day challenge I received a bottle and pouch of Spartan Olive Oil. 

Disclaimer 2: This post contains affiliate links.