Spinach White Bean Stew with Poached Egg

Smitten Kitchen's spinach and white bean stew 

1 pound baby spinach or swiss chard
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup (5 1/4 ounces) chopped carrots
1 cup (5 ounces) chopped celery
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) chopped shallots, about 4 medium
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
2 15-ounce cans (or about 3 3/4 cups) white beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups (or more to taste) vegetable broth
1 cup pureed tomatoes (from a can/carton/your jarred summer supply)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
whole wheat slices to toast

*Immersion circulator shortcut: poach multiple eggs at once by dropping whole egg (with shell) into water bath of 167 degrees for 13 minutes. Or 145 degrees (or slightly higher to avoid runny whites) for an hour.

Heat olive oil over medium in pot. Add carrots, celery, shallots and garlic and saute for 15 minutes. Add wine and cook it until it reduced by three-fourths. Add beans, broth, tomatoes, a few pinches of salt, freshly ground black pepper, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add chard and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove thyme and bay leaf. Add more broth if you’d like a thinner stew and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle the stew over thick piece of toasted country bread or baguette that has been rubbed lightly with half a clove of garlic, top that with a poached egg (crack egg into dish, create whirpool with spoon in pot of almost-simmering water, drop into middle of whirpool and cook for 3-4 min until egg comes together, dry on paper towel) and a few drops of sherry vinegar and/or some grated cheese.  Also add some chopped chives.