Posts tagged eggs

Shakshuka

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Shakshuka

L

ike the majority of the country, we’ve opted for a meat-free-Monday in our household of two proud carnivores. So Shakshuka was on this Monday’s menu. Except that, I’ll admit, half way through cooking I feared it might be bland and, you know, ‘tomatoey’, so I added some diced, fried and oily chorizo pieces. Oops. It tasted delicious but is by no means authentic to the true Tunisian delight. So please omit if you’ve more restraint than me. It is not bland in the slightest. As a very strong advocate of powerful, punchy flavours, plenty of crumbled rich feta and a good squeeze of lime served nicely at the table will ensure this fits for a celebratory Monday feast.

It works nicely when my boyfriend has a football game to watch so I can blog merrily in the background and offer culinary support. I’ll give him praise though. He was the one who taught me patience with eggs. I am not the patient type when it comes to eggs. Until now. Since recently perfecting my oozing scrambled, I thought it time to give this tasty dish another try. The first try post is still in my drafts…

Serving suggestion include yoghurt or labneh as a side, flatbreads, warm pittas or some crusty sourdough bread to mop up the juices. I served mine in the middle of the table so we could all dig in!

Serves 2 (greedy as a main dinner/brunch)

Serves 4 (as a light breakfast)

  • 2 red peppers, chopped (you can chop finely or chunky, depends how you want the final dish consistency)
  • 2 red onions, sliced finely
  • 2 large tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 can tinned tomatoes
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, sliced finely
  • 1 red chilli, chopped finely
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
  • 1 tsp caraway seeds
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • Pinch cayenne
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 4 free range eggs
  • 80g approx feta
  • 3 spring onions, sliced
  • Coriander, chopped to serve
  • 1 lime
  1. Heat a large shallow frying pan on a medium heat and add a splash of olive/sunflower oil. *This will be the pan you make the final dish in so choose wisely.
  2. Gently fry the red onion for about 8 minutes until turning translucent and softening. Season.
  3. Add the sliced peppers and chorizo and cook until the peppers are soft and the chorizo releases its oils. Season.
  4. Add the garlic and chopped chilli and fry for a few more minutes.
  5. Add the spices to the pan and stir to combine. Cook out for a few minutes.
  6. Turn the heat up a touch and add the red wine vinegar. Let this bubble and reduce before adding the chopped tomatoes and the tinned tomatoes. Stir to combine. 
  7. Top up with enough hot water to form a good consistency and a nice bed for the eggs.
  8. Turn the heat right down to a low simmer and make 4 wells in the mixture. Break the eggs directly, or via a mug, and pour into the wells.
  9. Now for the patience. Let this cook gently for about 10-12 minutes on the hob. Cover with a lid or a large piece of foil after about 5 minutes to ensure the whites cook through.
  10. When the whites are just set, remove from the heat. Squeeze over the juice of half a lime. Scatter over the crumbled feta and then finally scatter over the sliced spring onions and coriander.
  11. Serve immediately with warm flatbread or crusty bread. 

 

 

Chilli Avocado & Sumac Poached Eggs

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Chilli Avocado & Sumac Poached Eggs

T

his post is hardly a ‘recipe’ and at the risk of sounding pretentious, it’s hardly cooking. Pouch an egg, toast some bread and mash an avocado. If you’ve not nailed that one yet then this is the blog post for you (and guaranteed to woo any dates the morning after!). You can’t go anywhere for brunch these days, particularly in London, without the avocado on toast making a headlining appearance. And I’m one of the many who craves this in an cafe at the weekend whilst also being one that knows very well it can be eaten and thrown together quicker and significantly cheaper in the comforts of your own home. I’m sure we’ve all experienced a promising ‘smashed avo on toast’ (usually with a £3 side of ‘seeds’…yes seeds) only to find it bland, under seasoned and in need of a hearty splash of lemon.

So…make it at home! Here are my tips for my personal perfect recipe. Interchangable depending on taste but the basics are here. Excuse my ugly poached egg but as my mother always told me, its what on the inside that counts. And as long as its molten orange yolk then it can look as ugly as a…..*use imagination*.

With my conscious risk of again sounding pretentious, I’ve used some common ingredients here. I’ll admit its nothing original. But there’s a reason it on those brunch menus. Its yummy!

Ingredients – Serves 2

  • 2 slices of bread, toasted (Your choice. Rye and sourdough being my favourite – must be smeared with smashed avo to the very edges – cafe pet hate)
  • 4 eggs, fresh, room temperature
  • 2 ripe avocados
  • 1 lime
  • 1 tbsp chilli flakes
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 1 small bunch coriander, chopped
  • Approx 2 heaped tbsp mixed seeds (e.g. pumpkin, sesame, sunflower) – toasted lightly for a few minutes in a hot pan until beginning to pop.
  • 1 tsp sumac
  1. Cut your avocado in half and scoop out the flesh. Smash with a fork into a bowl.
  2. Add the juice of 1 lime, the chilli flakes, spring onions and coriander. Season well with salt and pepper and smash all together. Taste, adding more lime/seasoning if needed.
  3. Bring a pan of water to the simmer. Poach your eggs (suggested 2 at a time depending on pan size) for a few minutes until the whites have set and the yolks are still runny.
  4. While poaching, toast your bread.
  5. Slather the smashed avocado between the 2 toast slices. Scatter over the toasted seeds.
  6. When the eggs are ready, pat dry any excess water on some kitchen towel then immediately sit on top of the toast and avo.
  7. Scatter the eggs with a grinding of pepper and a spindle of sumac
  8. Serve immediately while still warm and yolks runny.

 

 

‘Kedgeree’ restyled

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‘Kedgeree’ restyled

Jess - kedgeree egg2Jess - kedgeree egg3

K

edgeree restyled = Smoked haddock, chive and parsley risotto topped with samphire, pan fried curried haddock loin, soft poached egg and sourdough crispy crumbs.

A modern take on kedgeree if you like and a recipe thats been on my ‘testing’ list for little under a year? I often come up with ideas of dishes that I want to experiment with but there are never enough meals in the week, pounds in the purse or free blog appropriate evenings to do so. But as I sit and indulge in the Masterchef final I write this post and realise the influence this years competition has had on my food. Restaurant worthy presentation for an otherwise hearty, homely supper. But with all the elements of a traditional kedgeree (smoked fish, eggs, rice and curry) its a winner on flavour combination.

I used poached duck eggs here instead of the traditional boiled egg as I don’t know anyone or any dish that doesn’t benefit from a cascade of delicious vibrant orange yolk. But with the soft texture of the egg, fish and risotto, some crispy baked sourdough breadcrumbs are the perfect textural contrast. Also feel free to use cod or any other meaty white fish.

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Serves 2

  • 200g (or two large handfuls) risotto rice
  • 750ml hot fish stock
  • 1 shallot, diced finely
  • 1 large garlic clove
  • 50g butter
  • 125ml dry white wine
  • Handful chives, chopped
  • Handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1 lemon, juice and zest
  • 2 haddock fillets
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 large filler of smoked haddock (skin removed), chopped into cubes
  • 1 fresh duck eggs
  • 1 x packet samphire (enough for two)
  • 2 slices sourdough bread
  1. Start by rubbing the haddock fillets with the curry powder. Season and set aside until ready to cook. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Place the sourdough breadcrumbs on a baking tray and drizzle with a little oil and season. Toast in the oven for about 10 minutes until crispy and golden. Remove and set aside until serving.
  3. For the risotto, melt half the butter and a tsp of oil in a saucepan. Add the shallot and soften over a gentle heat until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and soften for another minute or so.
  4. Turn up the heat and add the rice. Toast for a few minutes until beginning to turn a little translucent too. Add the wine and simmer away until fully absorbed. Have the fish stock hot and ready in a nearby saucepan. Keeping the risotto at a gentle simmer add ladle by ladle of the stock to the risotto making sure it doesn’t dry out. You may or may not need all the stock but you want to simmer for 18-20 minutes until the rice is cooked and you have a thick but still oozing consistency.
  5. When the rice is cooked add the chunky cubes of smoked haddock and stir through until cooked. The fish will turn white quickly as it cooks in the hot rice (a matter of minutes). It will flake apart when done so use a fork to flake it through to distribute amongst the risotto.
  6. Remove from the heat and add the remaining butter, the chopped herbs and the lemon zest and juice. Add plenty of black pepper and salt to taste. Once the butter has melted, stir all to combine. Place a lid on top and set aside to keep warm.
  7. Meanwhile, steam the samphire for 3 minutes and keep warm.
  8. Get a frying pan really hot and add a splash of oil and at the same time heat a pan of boiling water for the eggs bringing it to a gentle simmer.
  9. Fry the curried haddock fillets for 1 minute on each side in the frying pan, just to get the coating golden and crisp before adding to the oven and cooking through for about 5 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.
  10. In this 5 minutes, poach the eggs. Turn the water down to a gentle simmer and crack your duck eggs into the water. Poach for a few minutes just until the white is set but the yolk is still runny and soft to touch when tested. Remove using a slotted spoon and rest while your plate the rest of the elements.
  11. When ready to plate up make sure you have some pre warmed serving bowls. Serve a generous spoonful of oozing risotto into the middle. Top with a handful of samphire and then the cooked curried haddock. Top with one of your poached eggs and crack over some black pepper. Drizzle with any curried oil leftover in the baking try from the curried fish and scatter with a handful or crispy sourdough breadcrumbs.
  12. Serve!

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