Spinach & Vermicelli Soup with Fried Egg

Another great recipe from Soup of the Day (Williams-Sonoma): 365 Recipes for Every Day of the Year by Kate McMillan. This recipe peaked my interest with just the name alone. I've never had a fried egg in my soup. It sounded so strange to me that I just had to give it a try. Both the Mr. and I were pleasantly surprised when we took a bite and found that it was actually a good combination of flavors. With the basic flavors of the soup, the flavors of the Sriracha and the creaminess from the egg yolk,the end result is a delicious soup.

This is an extremely easy recipe. You cook the soup all in one pot and then as it's sitting, you fry your egg, serve and you're done. I didn't find any problems making this soup and found it to be quick enough to make on a weeknight. I highly recommend adding a bit of the Sriracha, even if you are not a hot sauce eater, because it adds a lot of flavor to the soup. For those of you who don't eat meat, just substitute out the chicken broth with vegetable broth.

• 1 Tbps. olive oil 
• 1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced 
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 5 c. chicken or vegetable broth  (vegetarian version)
• 1/2 lb vermicelli, broken into 2 inch pieces 
• 1 bunch spinach, stemmed 
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter/margarine 
• 4 eggs 
• hot sauce, such as Sriracha (optional) 

1. In a large saucepan, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add vermicelli, return to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally for 4 minutes. Add the spinach and stir through just until it is wilted about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low to keep soup warm while you prepare the eggs. 
2.  In a nonstick frying pan, melt butter over medium heat. Fry each egg until it is set but the yolk is still runny, 5-6 minutes. Ladle the soup into 4 bowls and top each with a fried egg. Add in desired amount of hot sauce (optional) and serve.

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