Cooking up a storm in Taupō: From recipe developer Olivia Moore of That Green Olive

Soft Polenta with Eggs and Spicy Salami Butter recipe from That Green Olive's Olivia Moore. Photo / That Green Olive

I'm sure most Taupō kitchens are well-stocked with eggs at the moment - with every supermarket trip I'm tempted to buy just one more carton of on-special eggs. As a result, we've been finding ways of using eggs in every meal.

Warm and creamy polenta pairs so well with the richness of a perfectly poached egg, and is especially delicious cooked with garlic and parmesan. If you've never used polenta, look in the pasta aisle; it costs about the same as pasta. Polenta is a meal of ground corn and thickens when cooked, similar to mashed potato.

However, the hero here has to be the spicy salami butter; so simple, yet incredibly punchy. Crispy morsels of fried salami in chilli and smoked paprika-infused melted butter is seriously delicious, and your kitchen will smell amazing.

Serve this winter warmer for lunch or dinner.

Soft Polenta with Eggs and Spicy Salami Butter

Serves 4
Ready in 25 minutes

●4 eggs (1 per person - use 8 eggs for 2 per person)

Creamy Polenta
●25g butter
●2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
●1 tsp salt
●1 litre boiling water
●1 cup coarse polenta/cornmeal
●½ cup milk
●¼ cup grated parmesan (plus extra, to serve)

Spicy Salami Butter
●75g salami, very finely diced
●50g butter
●¼ tsp smoked paprika
●¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes until the garlic begins to brown. Add water and salt, and bring to a boil.
2. Slowly whisk in the polenta, ensuring no lumps form. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, until thick and almost glutinous. When thickened, whisk in milk and parmesan to combine. Season with pepper, cover with a lid and keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, make the spicy salami butter. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add salami and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring often, until crispy and just beginning to brown. Add butter. When melted, stir in smoked paprika and chilli. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
4. To poach the eggs, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. When boiling, reduce heat to low and carefully add eggs. Cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on your desired yolk consistency. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
5. To assemble, divide polenta among 4 serving bowls. Top each with an egg, and generously spoon over the spicy salami butter. Sprinkle with grated parmesan and serve immediately.