SERVES 2 (Multiply/halve as needed)
125g brown basmati rice
a few sprigs of coriander
2 garlic cloves
2 shallots
1 red chilli
a 2cm piece of ginger
100g green beans
100g baby leaf spinach
groundnut oil
¼ teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons kecap manis (if you can’t find kecap manis, replace with soy sauce and a tablespoon of runny honey)
1 tablespoon low-salt soy sauce
2 large eggs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lime, halved
sriracha, or other chilli sauce, to serve
Cook the rice according to the packet instructions and leave to cool. To cool it quickly, spread it out on a tray. (If you can cook your rice and chill it the night before, it’ll be even better.)
Prep all your veg and then you’ll be ready to go. Pick the coriander leaves and roughly chop; leave them to one side for later. Peel the garlic and shallots, and finely slice along with the chilli (deseeded if you don’t want it too hot) and the coriander stalks. Peel the ginger and slice into fine matchsticks. Trim the green beans, roughly chop into 2–3cm pieces, and roughly chop the spinach.
Place a medium-size saucepan of salted water on to boil and blanch the green beans in the boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into cold water. If you are serving with poached eggs, turn the heat down under the pan, so the water is ready to poach the eggs in later on. If you are serving with fried eggs, take the pan off the heat and place a medium frying pan on the hob.
Pop another large non-stick frying pan or wok on a medium heat and pour in a drizzle of oil. Add the finely sliced shallots and sauté for 5 minutes, then add the sliced garlic, chilli, ginger, and coriander stalks. Soften for a further 5 minutes, then add the turmeric and drained beans. Fry for 2 minutes, then add the chilled rice, kecap manis and soy sauce. Fry everything for 5 minutes, until the rice is piping hot, stirring frequently. At the same time, cook your eggs to your liking – I fry/poach mine for just under 3 minutes, for a runny yolk. Finish the rice by stirring through the chopped spinach and coriander, and then season to taste.
Plate up the nasi goreng, top with an egg and any leftover coriander. Serve with a lime half on the side, and a bottle of sriracha for the table.
Wholegrain Nasi Goreng with Spinach
BOMBAY OMELETTE
I had my first masala omelette on a trip to India and it totally converted me to eating punchy flavours in the morning. Breakfast in India isn’t a sweet affair – no sugary cereals or cakes, but spicy masala omelettes, dosas with sambal, meals that really will set you up for the day and don’t weigh you down. This is now a go-to dish in our house, and not just at breakfast time – it will often get made in the evening if we’re hungry and tired. It’s incredibly straightforward and easily adaptable, depending on what you have to hand. A perfect protein-packed start to the day.
SERVES 2 (multiply/halve as needed)
½ a red onion
2 small vine tomatoes
½ a bunch of coriander
1 green chilli
4 large eggs
30g baby spinach leaves
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon ground cumin
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ a lemon
2 knobs of butter
Peel and finely chop the onion. Halve the tomatoes, scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon and discard, then finely chop the flesh. Finely chop the coriander stalks and leaves. Halve the chilli, deseed and finely slice. Whisk the eggs together until well combined, then season generously and whisk in the onion, tomatoes, coriander, chilli, turmeric, garam masala and cumin. Put the spinach leaves into a bowl, squeeze just enough lemon to coat, toss together, then leave to one side.
Melt half the butter in a medium non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and ladle in half the omelette mixture. Swirl the eggs around for 2 minutes, pushing them to the middle and tilting the pan so that all the mixture has a chance to set. Leave it for a minute, then slip the omelette on to your serving plate. Top with half the dressed spinach and fold the omelette in half. Serve straight away, and repeat with the remaining butter, omelette mix and spinach.
Bombay Omelette
MENEMEN WITH LEMON-ROASTED FETA AND OLIVES
Menemen is a fabulous Turkish breakfast of velvety scrambled eggs in softened tomatoes and peppers. We grew up eating the Cypriot version (without the peppers) at all times of the day. Instead of scrambling the eggs into the veg I often coddle them, as I’ve done here. But if you want to try the original version, simply whisk the eggs and very gently scramble them through at the end.
SERVES 4
150g feta
1 lemon
12 black olives
½ a bunch of oregano
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Middle Eastern peppers, red and green (or just regular ones will be fine)
2 onions
1 green chilli
5 ripe tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato purée
4 large eggs
a few sprigs of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
a good pinch of Turkish chilli flakes (optional) (regular dried chilli flakes are fine too)
flatbread or pitta, to serve
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6. Place the feta into a small dish and finely grate over the lemon zest. Destone and roughly chop the olives. Pick the oregano leaves and toss half of them with the olives, then scatter over the feta. Cut the lemon into 4 wedges and tuck into the dish. Drizzle everything with a little olive oil, season, and pop into the oven for 20 minutes, or until everything is golden and crisp around the edges.
Meanwhile halve and deseed the peppers, and chop into 1cm pieces. Peel and finely slice the onions and deseed and finely slice the chilli. Place a large non-stick frying pan on a medium-low heat with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the veg and the rest of the oregano and sauté for 10 minutes, until softened but not coloured. While the veg are cooking, peel the tomatoes. Score a little cross on the top of each one, then place them in a large jug or bowl and cover with just-boiled water. Leave them for a minute, then drain from the water, carefully peel away the skin and finely chop the flesh. When the veg are have softened, stir in the tomato purée, fry for a minute, then add the chopped tomatoes and all their juices. Season well and cook for a further 10 minutes, adding a splash of water if needed, until the veg have cooked down and thickened.
When the veg have thickened, use a spoon to create 4 pockets in the mixture. Crack an egg into each pocket and cook for 5 minutes, then cover with the lid and cook for 5 minutes more, until the whites are cooked through but the yolks are nice and runny (unless you don’t like runny yolks, in which case cook for a few more minutes).
Roughly chop the parsley leaves, and when the menemen is ready, sprinkle it over the top and crumble over the roasted feta and olives. Sprinkle them over the dried chilli if using, and serve with toasted flatbreads or pitta and the charred lemon wedges.
Menemen with Lemon-Roasted Feta and Olives
KIPPER HASH WITH WATERCRESS YOGHURT AND GRIDDLED CUCUMBER
We know we should be eating more oily fish, and kipper ticks a lot of the boxes. It’s packed with omega-3 – great for the heart and helping reduce heart disease, and it’s a good source of vitamin D which we need to absorb calcium. Start with an incredible breakfast and chances are you’ll continue to eat well for the rest of the day.
SERVES 4
4 kipper fillets (around 280g in total)
500ml milk
600g floury potatoes, such as Maris Pipers
½ a bunch of chives
4 spring onions
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a 1cm piece of fresh horsera
dish or 1 teaspoon jarred grated horseradish
1 lemon
olive oil
½ a cucumber
100g watercress
200g Greek yoghurt
Place the kipper fillets in a large frying pan and pour over the milk. Place on a medium heat and gently bring to the boil. As soon as the milk starts to boil, reduce the heat to low, simmer for 6 minutes, then remove from the hob and leave to one side to cool. When the kippers are cool enough to handle, discard most of the milk and gently flake the fish, discarding the skin and as many bones as you can.
While the kippers are poaching, chop the potatoes into even-size pieces and place in a pan of cold salted water. Bring to the boil over a medium heat and when it starts to bubble, reduce the heat slightly and boil the potatoes for around 12 minutes, or until cooked through. (You can peel the potatoes if you like, but I love the texture of crispy potato skins.) Drain and leave to steam dry in the colander for a few minutes so there is no water left on them. Return the potatoes to the dry pan and mash with a potato masher until mostly smooth.
Finely chop the chives, and add to the mashed potatoes with the flaked kippers and a splash of the poaching milk. Trim and finely slice the spring onions and add to the pan along with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Peel and finely grate in the horseradish and finely grate in the lemon zest. Mix everything together well, with your hands if you want, making sure it’s well combined.
Place a griddle pan on a high heat. Clean the pan you poached the kippers in and pop it on to a medium heat; pour in a good glug of olive oil. Spoon in the potato mixture and flatten it out with a spatula so it is around 2cm thick. Fry for around 12–15 minutes, turning over parts of the hash here and there, to get a lovely golden crust forming throughout. It’s ready when the underside is crispy, while also having a good crust on top.
While the hash is frying, cut the cucumber in half lengthways, and each piece in half again so you end up with 4 long wedges. Scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon and pop the cucumber pieces on to the hot griddle. Grill for a few minutes on each side, so that you have good char marks all over.
Pop 70g of the watercress into a blender with the juice of ½ the lemon, a pinch of salt and pepper and the Greek yoghurt. Blitz until smooth.
When the cucumber is ready, transfer it to a chopping board and chop into brave chunks. Dress with the juice of the remaining lemon half.
Divide the watercress yoghurt between your serving plates and top with the kipper hash. Serve with the griddled and dressed cucumbers and finish with a pinch of the remaining watercress.
Kipper Hash with Watercress Yoghurt and Griddled Cucumber
GIN-CURED SALMON WITH CREAMY SCRAMBLED EGGS
There’s nothing quite like curing your own salmon at home, and it isn’t difficult at all – all you need is time. A simple cure made from gin and citrus makes for a delicate but beautiful flavour, which works perfectly with creamy scrambled eggs.
SERVES 4
½ tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon peppercorns (mixed, if possible)
6 juniper berries
150g fine sea salt
125g caster sugar
50ml gin
1 lemon
400g salmon fillet, skin on and pin-boned
TO SERVE
10 large eggs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ a bunch of chives
4 slices of sourdough bread
50g butter
Start curing a whole day before you plan to serve the salmon.
Lightly toast the coriander seeds, peppercorns and juniper berries in a dry frying pan over a low heat for 1–2 minutes, then grind in a mortar and pestle (or a spice grinder) until you have a fine powder. Spoon into a bowl and add the sea salt, sugar and gin, then finely grate in the lemon zest. Stir everything together until well mixed, then spoon half the mixture into a tray not much bigger than the salmon fillet. Place the salmon in the tray, skin side down, and cover with the remaining salt mixture. Cover tightly with clingfilm and pop into the fridge for 12 hours. After the first 12 hours, turn the salmon over in the cure and spoon over any liquid that has formed at the bottom of the tray and any of the cure that has fallen off. Cover and return to the fridge for a further 12 hours or overnight.
When you want to serve your salmon, wash the cure off and pat the fish dry. Slice the salmon into thin slices, discarding the skin. Any remaining salmon can be stored, covered, in the fridge for up to a week.
When you are ready to serve, crack the eggs into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Finely slice the chives and add to the bowl, whisking everything together. Place a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat and pop your sourdough into the toaster. Add half the butter to the pan, saving the rest for the toast. Pour your eggs into the pan and gently scramble, until just cooked and a little creamy still. Butter the toast, and serve topped with the creamy eggs, a few slices of the cured salmon and a wedge of lemon.
Gin-Cured Salmon with Creamy Scrambled Eggs
CHORIZO, TOMATO AND CHICKPEAS ON TOAST
I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I love beans on toast. It’s probably mostly due to nostalgia, but I do think there is a place for them in life. Beans and pulses are nutrient-rich foods that we should be eating more of, and they make a fantastic breakfast. This recipe uses chickpeas for a twist on the classic and it can either be slow-cooked, using dried chickpeas, or a quicker affair using tinned. Either way it’s a perfect dish for the weekend, and when made in bulk can be easily reheated during the week for a speedier meal.
SERVES 4
150g cooking chorizo (a whole sausage, not the sliced kind)
450g ripe vine tomatoes
3 garlic cloves
1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley
extra virgin olive oil
50ml sherry (oloroso works well)
1 tablespoon tomato purée
300g dried chickpeas, cooked, or 2 × 400g tins of chickpeas, drained
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a splash of sherry vinegar
4 slices of sourdough, or your favourite bread
Chop the chorizo and tomatoes into small pieces of about 1cm, and peel and finely chop 2 of the garlic cloves. Finely chop the parsley stalks and chop the leaves, keeping them separate.
Place a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat and pour in a glug of olive oil. Fry the chorizo for a couple of minutes, then add the sherry. Bring it to the boil, then let it cook away. Continue to cook the chorizo for around 5 minutes, stirring often, until golden. Reduce the heat a little and spoon out any excess oil – you only need to leave a tablespoon in the pan.
Add the chopped garlic, fry for a minute, then stir in the tomato purée. Fry for a further 1–2 minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes, chickpeas and 200ml of water. Gently bring to the boil, season well, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pan with the lid. Cook for 20 minutes, then remove the lid, turn the heat up a little and cook for a further 10–15 minutes uncovered. You should end up with a thick, rich sauce. If it still looks a little watery, continue to cook uncovered and turn the heat up a little. Finish with a splash of sherry vinegar and stir in the chopped parsley.
Toast the sourdough, then cut the remaining garlic clove in half and rub the top side of the toast with the cut side of the garlic. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and spoon over the chorizo chickpeas. Serve straight away.
Chorizo, Tomato and Chickpeas on Toast
REFRIED LENTILS WITH CRISPY SAUSAGE, PEPPER SALSA AND AVOCADO
I have Pete to thank for this corker of a recipe; having always been a fan of refried beans, he asked me what would happen if we used lentils instead. So we did and it’s utterly delicious! And nutritious too – lentils are a great way to start the day, as they will keep you feeling full for ages. It works best if you cook the lentils ahead and fry at the last minute, but if you don’t have time don’t worry, it’ll
still be great. Feel free to top it with a poached egg for something a little heartier. And for a veggie alternative just leave out the sausage.
SERVES 4
2 red onions
½ a bunch of coriander
1 jalapeño chill
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
olive oil
300g dried brown lentils
2 red peppers
1 dried chipotle chilli
2 garlic cloves
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
300g ripe vine tomatoes
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
4 good-quality sausages
2 avocados
2 limes
60g wild rocket
Put a large kettle on to boil. Peel and finely chop the onions. Pick the coriander leaves, keep to one side and finely chop the stalks. Finely chop the Jalapeño and crush the coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle. Place a large non-stick saucepan over a medium heat and pour in a drizzle of olive oil. Add the onions, coriander stalks and jalapeño and sauté for 10 minutes, until softened but not coloured. Stir in the coriander seeds, fry for a couple more minutes, then add the lentils. Stir in 800ml of boiling water and bring back to the boil. Season well, then reduce the heat, pop on the lid and simmer for 40 minutes, until the lentils are cooked and beginning to break down.
Meanwhile, blacken the peppers by either placing them directly on a gas flame, or griddling them in a griddle pan, turning regularly until blackened all over. Pop them into a bowl, cover with clingfilm and let stand for around 5 minutes. By then the pepper skins should flake away easily. Remove the skins, stalks, and seeds. Slice the flesh into thin strips and leave to one side.
Stirring Slowly Page 3