Four good things on a plate: eggs, cheese, garlic and rice

A year or two ago Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall published a recipe book called Three Good Things. His premise is that "three good things on a plate" is a kind of magic formula for good food, where the whole is more than the sum of its parts (as long as you get the combinations right, of course). I don't entirely disagree, but I find that for a complete main course, four is more often the minimum number for an interesting, sustaining plate of food.

In this case my four good things are wild garlic, cheese, eggs and rice. You could possibly skip the egg and still have a nice dish, but the egg completes it somehow. Another combination of similar ingredients is an omelette filled with wild garlic and cheese (in which case I would forgo the rice but might have some new potatoes on the side).

The cheese is turned into a creamy cheese sauce; the rice is long grain and preferably brown; the egg is poached and should be runny in the middle. The garlic is wild garlic, which is my favourite foraged ingredient of the season, but which you may be able to find in a good greengrocer. Actually, this dish works well with spinach instead of garlic - you can always sauté the spinach with some chopped garlic if you want to add some flavour.

I've made this dish low in fat by making a low-fat white sauce and using reduced-fat cheese. I don't think you can tell the difference, but you could do a full-fat version if you prefer.

This dish would also make a lovely brunch served on muffins instead of rice - like a garlicky, vegetarian version of Eggs Benedict.

For another great combination of four things (three of which are once again garlic, rice and cheese), take a look at my recipe for garlic and mushroom risotto.

Serves four

Ingredients

250g wild garlic (or fresh spinach, plus a few chopped garlic cloves if you wish)
285ml/ 1/2 pint semi-skimmed milk
1 tbsp cornflour
100g/ 4oz mature or extra-mature Cheddar cheese (I used a reduced-fat version), grated
1 bay leaf
Four eggs
250g-300g (depending on how hungry you are) brown rice
Nutmeg

Method

Start by cooking the rice according to packet instructions.

While this is happening, blend the cornflour with a little of the milk to make a paste. Blend with the rest of the milk and heat gently with the bay leaf, stirring all the time. After several minutes it should thicken. Add the grated cheese, and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg. Keep warm while you cook the garlic.

Wash the wild garlic (or spinach) and cook it for a few minutes in a large pan, without any extra water, until it has wilted down. If you are using spinach, you can add some finely chopped garlic too if you wish.

Take a small amount of the cooked garlic/spinach, chop finely and add to the sauce. Chop the rest roughly.

To serve, place a quarter of  the rice on each plate or shallow bowl, then top with some cooked garlic/spinach, cheese sauce and finally a poached egg.