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Posts Tagged ‘Brunch’

We’re big fans of a rösti and these spicy butternut versions are great for Sunday brunch with some poached eggs.

Butternut röstis with poached eggs – serves 4

  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled and coarsley grated
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 3 tsp sea salt flakes
  • 1 heaped tbsp plain flour
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 bunch of scallions, finely sliced
  • 15g dill, finely chopped
  • 5 large eggs
  • vegetable oil, for frying

Put the grated squash and the onion into a mixing bowl and add the salt. Mix well with your hand and leave to stand for about half an hour. Tip the mixture into a clean cloth and squeeze out as much liquid as possible, then return to the bowl.

Heat the oven to 160C/Gas 3.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil to poach the eggs in.

Line a baking tray with paper and heat a large frying pan over a medium heat.

Add the flour, spices, scallions and most of the dill to the squash mixture and mix well with your hands (gloves recommended). Crack in 1 egg and mix again, adding lots of black pepper. Shape the mixture into 12 small röstis, about 1cm thick.

Heat a good amount of oil in the hot frying pan, then fry the röstis for 5-6 minute on each side until browned and crispy. Keep warm in the oven on the lined baking tray while you fry the rest.

Carefully crack the eggs into the boiling water and poach for 3 minutes.

Put 3 röstis onto each plate, top with a poached egg, a sprinkle of dill and some black pepper.

(Original recipe from Sirocco by Sabrina Ghayour, Mitchell Beazley, 2016.)

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Pastrami bagel of dreams. We used some rose veal pastrami from Broughgammon Farm in Ballycastle but any pastrami will do.

Pastrami & cheese bagels – serves 4

  • 4 bagels
  • 8 slices of gruyère
  • 600g pastrami, finely sliced
  • 175g sauerkraut
  • dill pickles, to serve

FOR THE DRESSING:

  • 120g kewpie mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp capers, rinsed and dried
  • 6 cornichons, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped chives
  • a squirt of tomato ketchup
  • a squirt of sriracha sauce
  • a squeeze of lemon juice
  • a dash of fish sauce

Make the dressing first by whisking all the ingredients together. Taste and season as needed.

If you have a sandwich press, heat it up. We don’t and so cooked these in a heavy frying pan with another heavy frying pan on top to act like a press.

Cut the bagels in half, then put a slice of cheese on the bottom half of each. Top with loosely folded pastrami, sauerkraut and another slice of cheese. Cover with the bagel tops. Cook in the press or in a frying pan for about 4 minutes or until the cheese has melted, then open the bagels and spoon over the dressing.

Serve with the dill pickles on the side.

(Original recipe from Everything I Love to Cook by Neil Perry, Murdoch Books, 2021.)

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Breakfast, brunch or lunch; it’s delicious!

Grilled cheese & kimchi on toast – serves 4

  • 4 slices sourdough bread
  • 4 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • 200g kimchi
  • 120g cheddar, grated
  • 120g comté, grated
  • 80g mozzarella, grated
  • a handful of coriander leaves
  • 2 scallions, finely sliced
  • 1 red chilli, finely sliced

Heat the grill to medium-high.

Lightly toast the sourdough on one side until golden.

Mix the mayonnaise with the garlic and spread onto the untoasted side of the bread, then top with the kimchi. Mix the cheeses together and sprinkle over the bread, pressing down gently. Grill for a few minutes until melted and golden.

Serve sprinkled with coriander, scallions and chilli.

(Original recipe from Australian Food by Bill Granger, Murdoch Books, 2020.)

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A Spanish-inspired breakfast or brunch dish. The serrano ham is good on the side but not essential.

Piperada vasca – serves 2

  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 green pepper
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • 1 small red chilli, deseeded and chopped
  • 3 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • a knob of butter
  • 3-4 large eggs, lightly beaten and seasoned
  • slices of serrano ham
  • toasted bread, to serve

Grill the peppers until blackened all over, then place in a bowl and cover with cling film. When the peppers have cooled, peel and deseed them, then cut into strips.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then fry the onion, until soft and golden. Add the garlic and chilli and stir, then add the tomatoes. Add the sugar and season, then cook for 10 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated and the tomatoes have collapsed. Add the roasted peppers.

When almost ready to serve, melt the butter in a small frying pan and gently scramble the eggs. You’re looking for a creamy texture.

Serve the piperada with the eggs, ham and some toast on the side.

(Original recipe from The Food of Spain by Claudia Roden, Michael Joseph, 2012.)

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This brunch dish is from Camper Van Cooking by Claire Thompson and Matt Williamson. We cook in a tent which is a similar endeavour but sadly not this year. Still, it’s been fun trying out the recipes for when the time comes.

Hot-smoked trout bagels with mustard butter and cream cheese – serves 4

  • 5 tbsp butter, softened
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
  • juice and finely grated zest of ½ a lemon
  • 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
  • 150g-200g hot-smoked trout fillets (we used trout as we love the rainbow trout from Goatsbridge Trout Farm in Kilkenny) but you could also use hot-smoked salmon, break it into bite-size pieces
  • 4 wholemeal bagels
  • 150g full-fat cream cheese

Beat three-quarters of the butter with the mustards, lemon zest, black pepper and a little salt.

Melt the rest of the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes or until softened.

Add the salmon pieces and heat through for a couple of minutes, then add the mustard butter and cook for another 5 minutes or until hot and the onions are very soft. Try not to break the salmon up too much.

Lightly toast the bagels and spread with the cream cheese, then add the salmon, sprinkle with lemon juice and serve.

(Original recipe from Camper Van Cooking by Claire Thomoson and Matt Williamson, Hardie Grant: Quadrille, 2021.)

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Try this for a tasty weekend brunch dish. Serve with toasted sourdough for mopping.

Baked green eggs – serves 2

  • 100g baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • 4 tbsp fresh pesto
  • 100ml double cream
  • 1 tbsp finely grated gruyère
  • 2 eggs

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

Mix together the spinach, pesto, cream and some seasoning, and tip into 2 shallow ovenproof dishes.

Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top.

Create a hollow in each dish with a spoon, then gently break in the eggs. Bake the dishes in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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It’s very rare that we cook a brunch like this but we’re glad we tried this one. Buy top quality sausages, bacon and eggs and you will have a feast!

Smoky beans, mushrooms, sausages, bacon and eggs – serves 2 (generously!)

  • 1 tbsp veg oil, plus a bit extra
  • 4 chipolata sausages
  • 4 bacon rasheres
  • 4 large mushrooms, sliced or torn into pieces
  • 1 x 400g tin cannellini beans, don’t drain as you will use the liquid
  • 1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes
  • 1 tsp garlic granules
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1-2 tsp brown sugar
  • a few dashes of Tabasco (optional)
  • 2 eggs

Heat a large heavy pan over a medium heat, then heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil.

Fry the sausages for 5 minutes, or until golden, then push to one side. Add the bacon and cook until godlen and crisp. Remove the sausages and bacon to a warm plate when they’re cooked through.

Add the mushrooms and a little more oil if needed, then fry until golden, scraping up any crispy bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove to the plate with the sausages and bacon.

Tip the cannellini beans and their liquid into the pan, then add the tomatoes, garlic granules and dried thyme. Bring to a simmer, breaking the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon. Add the paprika, sugar, worcestershire sauce and some seasoning, then simmer for 10-15 minutes or until slightly reduced and thickened.

Nestle the sausages into the beans, then make two gaps in the mixture and crack in the eggs. Cover with a lid or foil and cook for 5-8 minutes or until the eggs are set. Top with the bacon and mushrooms and serve with some Tabasco if you like.

You will need toast or crusty bread to mop it all up.

(Original recipe by Anna Glover in Olive Magazine, June 2021.)

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Who says you can’t have broccoli for breakfast? It’s purple sprouting broccoli season and we can’t resist buying when we see it. Also good on a slice of toasted sourdough.

Crispy PSB with poached eggs – serves 2

  • 300g purple sprouting broccoli
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • poached eggs, to serve

Heat the grill to high.

Meanwhile, steam the broccoli until tender, about 5 minutes, then dry well with kitchen paper.

Put the soy sauce, honey and vegetable oil in a bowl and whisk to combine.

Put the broccoli into a roasting tin, pour over the marinade and toss gently, then sprinkle over the sesame seeds. Put the tin under the grill for 5-8 minutes or until the broccoli is crispy.

Divide the broccoli between warm plates and top with a poached egg. Serve with some toast if you like.

(Original recipe by Rosie Birkett in BBC Good Food Magazine, April 2019.)

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These make a nice brunch or lunch dish with some brown bread or toast. 

Smoked haddock & spinach egg pots – serves 4

  • a little soft butter for greasing
  • 4 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
  • 200g skinless smoked haddock fillets, diced
  • 200g baby spinach
  • 6 large eggs
  • 200ml crème fraîche
  • ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 50g Cheddar, grated
  • a pinch of sweet smoked paprika
  • a small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • Brown bread or buttered toast, to serve

Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. 

Grease the inside of four 250ml ramekins or oven-proof dishes with butter, then dust with the breadcrumbs. 

Divide the fish between the dishes and put onto a baking tray. 

Wilt the spinach in a large saucepan with a tiny amount of water. Stir over a high heat for a few minutes, until wilted. Remove from the heat and drain in a colander. Leave to cool slightly, then squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the spinach. Roughly chop and divide between the dishes. 

Whisk the eggs and crème fraîche together in a bowl and season with a little grated nutmeg and some salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the dishes and sprinkle with the cheese and a little smoked paprika. 

Put the tray on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the oven to the grill setting and cook for a further 5 minutes or until golden brown on top. 

Sprinkle with the parsley and serve with the toast or bread. 

(Original recipe from Fresh Start by Tom Kerridge, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018.)

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Much more filling than the tinned variety but unlike a number of other baked bean recipes, you don’t have to start with dried beans. This is quick and still pretty handy for lunch.

Beans on toast – serves 4 to 6

  • 200g bacon lardons or pancetta cubes
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • olive oil
  • 1 stick of celery, finely chopped
  • 2 carrots, finely chopped
  • 2 x 400g tins of beans e.g. pinto, haricot or butter beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tsp black treacle
  • sourdough toast, to serve

Fry the bacon in a deep pan over a medium heat until golden, then add the onion. You can add a splash of olive oil if you need it.

Add the carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.

Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Next add the beans and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add the treacle and season with salt and black pepper.

Serve with toasted sourdough.

(Original recipe from The Kitchen Diaries II by Nigel Slater, Fourth Estate, 2012.)

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This makes a delicious veggie breakfast with toast or with bread and a salad for lunch. It is so simple but you need to use top quality tinned tomatoes as they are the star of the show.

Baked eggs with tomatoes – serves 4

  • 500g tinned tomatoes, drained, seeded and chopped
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 8 fresh eggs

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.

Put the tomatoes into a saucepan with 2 tbsp of water and a couple of pinches of salt. Cover and simmer slowly for 30 minutes, give it a stir occasionally.

Pour the olive oil into an ovenproof dish, then pour the tomatoes on top.

Break the eggs into the dish on top of the sauce and season with black pepper. Bake for 5 minutes or until the whites are just set and the yolks still runny.

(Original recipe from Southern Italian Cooking by Valentina Harris, Pavilion Books Limited, 1993.)

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Try this delicious Indian brunch dish by Cyrus Todiwala – chilli cheese on toast with a fried egg on top and ketchup on the side. We poached our eggs this time.

Wine Suggestion: What do they serve in those brunch places? Bottomless prosecco – something like that.

Eggs kejriwal – serves 2

  • 1 tsp butter, plus more for spreading on the toast
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2-4 thick slices bread
  • 100g mature cheddar, grated
  • 2 tsp English mustard
  • a small handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped
  • 1-2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • tomato ketchup, to serve (optional)

Melt the tsp of butter in a small frying pan and fry the onion for about 5 minutes or until soft. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Lightly toast the bread, then spread with butter and put onto a baking tray.

Heat the grill to medium.

Mix the onion, cheese, mustard, coriander, chilli and 1 egg together in a bowl and season.

Spread the cheese mix over the toast and grill for about 5 minutes or until set and bubbling.

Meanwhile, fry or poach your eggs.

Serve the cheese on toast on warmed plates with an egg on top and ketchup on the side.

(Original recipe by Cyrus Todiwala in BBC Good Food magazine, March 2020.)

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Thanks to a kind and generous birthday gift from friends we have been endowed with lovely smoked fish from the Connemara Smokehouse. The smoked mackerel made a lovely weekend brunch.

Smoked mackerel & leek hash with horseradish – serves 2

  • 250g new or salad potatoes, halved
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 2 large leeks, thinly sliced
  • 2-4 eggs
  • 100g peppered mackerel, skin removed (we used regular smoked mackerel and that was good too)
  • 2 tbsp creamed horseradish

Steam the potatoes until tender. 

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, then add the leeks and a pinch of salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until softened. You will need to stir now and then to stop them sticking. 

Add the cooked potatoes, then turn up the heat and fry for a couple of minutes so they start to crisp and brown a bit, then flake through the mackerel.

Make some holes for the eggs in the mixture, then crack an egg into each, season, then cover the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes. You’re looking for set whites and runny yolks. Serve the horseradish sauce on the side. 

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Inspired by a clip we saw of Marcus Wareing while browsing online one lazy Sunday. Dead easy, we wish we’d discovered this method before and will be doing this from now on. The trick is getting the moisture out of the potatoes, and the result is crusty potato with a moist soft centre. We served with barbecued bacon and poached eggs.

  • Potatoes for two people – we used three medium ones
  • a small onion or shallot
  • butter

Peel and coarsely grate the potatoes. Spread out on a tray and sprinkle with salt.

Coursely grate the onion.

After a few minutes put the grated potato into the middle of a clean tea towel and twist up over a sink. Squeeze out all the liquid – make sure it’s dry.

Mix grated potato and onions in a bowl and season generously.

Heat a little vegetable oil in a non-stick pan over a medium heat and when hot add the potato mix. Use a spoon to flatten out into a circle and then push the sides inwards to shape and form into a cake. Fry until starting to form a crust; you’ll need to lift an edge and peak to find out.

Place a plate the same size as the rosti on top of it and turn the pan over holding the plate as well. Slide the rosti back  into the pan, now crusty side up. Put generous lumps of butter around the cooking rosti. Fry this side until crusty underneath too.

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Smoked Paprika-Baked Courgettes, Tomatoes & Green Beans with Eggs

We’re really not brunch people, mainly as there’s so much going on at the weekends that we don’t have the time. Lockdown has provided us with some opportunities however. So instead of getting up early and out the door on a Saturday morning we’ve been coming downstairs in our pjs and making something nice for breakfast.

Smoked paprika-baked courgettes, tomatoes & green beans with eggs – serves 2

  • 2 large courgettes, cut into ½ cm slices
  • 200g small waxy potatoes, quartered
  • 150g cherry tomatoes
  • 6 scallions, trimmed
  • 2 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • leaves from 3 sprigs of thyme plus a few whole sprigs
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes
  • ½ tbsp smoked paprika, plus extra to serve if you like
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 125g green beans, trimmed
  • 2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 190C/400F/Gas 6.

Blanch the green minutes for a couple of minutes in salty boiling water, then drain and run under cold water to stop them cooking. Dry with some kitchen paper and toss with ½ tbsp of the olive oil. Set aside.

Put all of the vegetables (except the green beans) into a large baking tray and spread them out in an even layer. Add 2 tbsp olive oil, the thyme, chilli flakes, smoked paprika, garlic and season with salt and pepper. Toss everything together, then bake for 30 minutes, tossing the veg a few times.

Sprinkle the green beans over the top and return to the oven for another 8 minutes.

Break the eggs on top, season and put back in the oven for another 8 minutes for runny eggs.

Serve with a little more smoked paprika if you like.

(Original recipe from Diana Henry’s ‘From the Oven to the Table’, Mitchell Beazley, 2019.)

 

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Croque Madame

This is a cheat’s version of the French classic and makes a great brunch/lunch.

Croque Madame – serves 2

  • 4 large slices of sourdough
  • Dijon mustard
  • 100g grated gruyère
  • 4 slices thick-cut ham
  • butter
  • 4 tbsp crème fraîche
  • 2 eggs

Spread the sourdough with a thin layer of mustard on one side, then fill the sandwiches with half the gruyère and the ham. Spread the outside of the sandwiches with butter.

Heat a non-stick frying pan and fry the sandwiches on both sides until golden.

Mix the crème fraîche with the rest of the gruyère and spread over the top of the sandwiches. Put under a hot grill until the cheese bubbles and starts to brown.

Serve with a fried or poached egg on the top.

(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe in Olive Magazine, May 2015)

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Chachouka

This is the second version of this we’ve done in the last few weeks. Both times inspired by two extra peppers in a pack when we only needed one. This version is more caramelised and uses less fresh ingredients but it also takes a lot longer to cook. We loved the addition of saffron too.

You can cook the sauce the night before if you like  or keep half of it for the following day. You just need to reheat, then crack in the eggs and bake.

Chachouka – serves 4

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 large onion, halved and finely sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 red pepper, finely sliced
  • 1 yellow pepper, finely sliced
  • ½ tsp hot smoked paprika
  • a pinch of saffron strands
  • 400g tin plum tomatoes, squeeze with your hands to break them up as you add to the dish
  • 4 eggs

Heat the oil in an ovenproof frying pan, then add the cumin seeds and fry gently for a couple of minutes. Add the onion and cook gently for about 10 minutes or until golden.

Add the garlic and peppers and continue to cook for at least 20 minutes, stirring often, until the peppers are soft and wilted. Add the paprika and saffron, then the tomatoes and some seasoning. Cook gently for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4.

Taste and adjust the seasoning. If you can’t put your pan in the oven just transfer the sauce into a baking dish. Make holes in the mixture and gently break in the eggs (easier if you break into a mug first). Season the eggs with salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until the eggs are set but the yolk still runny.

(Original recipe from River Cottage Veg Everyday by Hugh Rearnley-Whittingstall, Bloomsbury, 2011.)

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Spicy Asparagus & Chorizo Baked Egg

We had this for breakfast on Easter Sunday but you could also have it for a handy lunch or dinner.

Spicy asparagus & chorizo baked egg – serves 2

  • 250g asparagus, cut into 3cm pieces
  • 40g diced chorizo
  • 1 tsp hot smoked paprika
  • 150g frozen spinach
  • 2 tbsp crème fraîche
  • 2 large eggs
  • flatbreads or toast, to serve

Heat a medium frying pan over a medium heat, add the asparagus and chorizo and cook for about 8 minutes. Stir in the paprika and cook for a further minute.

Add the frozen spinach and cook for about 5 minutes or until it has completely wilted. Stir in the crème fraîche and season with salt and pepper.

Make two space in the mixture for the eggs and gently slide them in. We find it easier to break them into mugs first. Cover the pan with a lid and leave for 5 minutes or until just set.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Shakshuka

We needed a green pepper for another dish, but could only get a mixed bag of three leaving us with a red and yellow pepper needing to be used. The clocks have changed and so we had brunch, very unusual in this house where our human alarm clocks goes off at 6am most days. Jono has been mastering a new skill and so we had this with freshly baked sourdough. Don’t think we’ll be eating another bite until this evening!

Shakshuka – serves 2

  • 1 tbsp cold pressed rapeseed oil (we used olive oil)
  • 1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
  • 1 red pepper, finely sliced
  • 1 yellow pepper, finely sliced
  • 3 large garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
  • 1 heaped tsp sweet smoked paprika
  • 400g tin of cherry tomatoes
  • 115g baby spinach (we used frozen spinach, boil for a minute or two to wilt, then drain, squeeze out water with hands and chop)
  • 4 medium eggs
  • ½ small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
  • ½ small bunch of dill, roughly chopped (we didn’t have any dill but used some fennel fronds)

Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan. Add the onions and peppers and cook over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until starting to soften. Add the garlic and spices and stir for another minute, then add the tomatoes, spinach and 100ml of water. Turn the heat down and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Season to taste.

Make four indentations in the mixture and gently crack an egg into each one (we find it easier to crack the eggs into mugs and pour them in). Cover with a lid or foil and cook over a low heat for 8-10 minutes or until the eggs are just set. Scatter over the herbs and serve.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Spinach Rarebit with Poached Eggs

We sporadically try and make an effort with breakfast on the weekends though more often than not we fall back to poached eggs on toast – not that there is anything wrong with that. This rarebit was nice for a change and we’ll definitely be skipping lunch!

Spinach rarebit with poached eggs – serves 2

  • 100g baby spinach
  • 125g mature cheddar, grated
  • ½ english mustard – we used Dijon
  • 2 scallions, finely chopped
  • 2 dashes of worcestershire sauce
  • 1 egg yolk, plus 2 eggs for poaching
  • 4 small slices of sourdough
  • rocket dressed with lemon juice to serve

Put the spinach in a colander and pour over a kettleful of boiling water, then leave to cool. Squeeze out as much water as you can then chop.

Put the cheddar, mustard, scallions, worcestershire sauce, egg yolk and spinach in a bowl, season and stir to combine.

Poach the eggs in a small pan of simmering water.

Heat the grill to high. Toast the bread on both sides then spread the rarebit mixture over the slices. Grill until golden and bubbling, then top with an egg, plenty of black pepper and some dressed rocket on the side.

(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe in Olive Magazine, December 2019)

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