Brunch alla messicana

I took this spicy idea for lunch from la Cucina Italiana magazine and adapted it so that it can be served as a dish for one and be a bit less hefty than the original one. I wanted the potato pancake on which the egg rests to be a bit softer than in my standard recipe for potato pancakes.

You'll need:

One medium potato

1/2 a shallot

one clove of garlic

1 egg

a spoonfull of sour cream

a few slices of avocado

fresh coriander

lime juice

sriracha sauce 

hot smoked paprika 

chili flakes

salt

1. Finely chop the onion and garlic and add them to a bowl. Peel the potato and gratehalf of it using a cheese grater and half of it on a finer grater. Add it to the bowl. Sprinkle some hot smoked paprika and salt over it and mix it all together. 

2. Break the egg and pour it into a small container being careful not to break the yolk. Transfer a tiny bit of the white into the potato mix so that it sticks better.

3. Transfer the contents of the bowl into a hot pan with some oil on it and spread to form a thin pancake. Fry on one side and turn (it will be ready to turn once it starts turning golden on the edges).

4. Pour the egg over the pancake, sprinkle some chili flakes on top, put the lid on the pan and fry for around 2 minutes depending on pan's temperature.

5. Delicately transfer the contents of the pan into a plate and garnish with a spoonful of sour cream, sriracha, fresh coriander and avocado slices previously covered in lime juice, et voila! 

Buon appetito!

Sunday special: scrambled eggs with a secret

At my house it's always eggs for breakfast on a Sunday. And so it was this Sunday as well. Scrambled eggs is one of those things that anyone can do and everyone has their preferred way of doing  - scrambled vigorously or just a little bit, well-cooked or runny. And then there are numerous things that you can add to them, not just butter. I share with you my new favourite way: what you see in the picture is not just bacon and chive. The secret ingredient here is coarsely ground (or hammered) pepper and coriander seeds to add a little twist to it.

First you fry the bacon, cut into smaller pieces or pre-cut into cubes.Then you add the eggs, chives, pepper and coriander and mix it together over medium heat. Smoked bacon is usually already quite salty, so I skip the salt, but you need to know your bacon.
To my mind, the best way to eat scrambled eggs is on a piece of fresh bread with butter, allowing the butter to melt underneath warm eggs.

Buon appetito!

Taste of Switzerland: mountain style rösti

This hefty rösti dish was inspired by one servered in one of Bettmeralp's restaurants. It should fill not only a farmer's appetite, but also one of a hungry hiker after a long day of walking. Rösti are simply potato pancakes, but this one is served with onions, bacon, an egg and loads of cheese. The Swiss cheese I used melted beautifully with the egg.

You'll need:
2-3 coarsely grated potatoes (can be bought ready in Swiss supermarkets, ready with potato flour and already salted)
one red onion
a handful of bacon cut into cubes
one egg
cheese (I used mild Swiss Vacherin Friboureois)
sweet paprika
nutmeg

1. Slice the onion and fryit over low heat, adding a bit of water once it starts to take colour. Once soft, add the bacon cubes to the onion and fry for a few more minutes until crispy.

2. Transfer grated potatoes into a separate, small pan and fry the potato pancake pressing the potatoes to the pan in the process. Season with some nutmeg (best freshly grated) and sweet paprika. Once it turns golden brown (it will be visible on the edges), turn to the other side with the help of the pan cover.

3. Once nearly ready (depending on the potato pancake thickness, it should take around 12-15 miuntes for both sides), sprinkle the onion and bacon on top of the pancake and then add grated cheese and an egg in the middle. Cover the pan with a lid and continue frying for another two minutes, et voila! You can add some greenery for decoration and transfer carefully into a plate or eat straight from the pan.

 

 

En Guetä! 

(Buon appetito!)

Red onion marmalade

Preparing a red onion marmelade requires some patience. It takes time, you cannot really speed it up, but it's really worth it. It's a perfect element to go on canapés, together with pâté or with duck. Today I propose to serve it in combination with pâté, goat cheese, and fresh thyme. I found inspiration for this little snack during my trip to Strasbourg, the land of foie gras and many other culinary delights.

You'll need:

5 red onions

3 spoons of sugar

4 spoons of balsamic vinegar

a glass of dry red wine

cardamon 

anise (optional)

For the canapés:

fresh bread/baguette

pâté

goat cheese 

fresh thyme (I used lemon thyme)

1. Slice the onions and put over a low heat together with some olive oil for around 10 minutes.

2. Add sugar and continue to simmer over a very low heat for another 10 minutes or so. 

3. Add half of the red wine and balsamic vinegar and reduce over a low heat. It should take around 20 minutes at least.

4. Add spices, the rest of the wine, and reduce again.

5. Assemble the elements on fresh baguette, et voila!  

Bon appétit!

Easter specials: Mushroom devilled eggs

Mushroom devilled eggs - they always make their way to the Easter breakfast table at my house, it's a matter of tradition! Preparation requires some patience, but it's definitely worth it.

You'll need:
3 eggs
300g mushrooms (champignons de Paris)
2 spoons of mayo
butter
sunflower oil
black pepper
salt

1. Peel the skins off the mushroom heads and cut them VERY finely into small cubes of around 2mm length. This is the patience-requiring part.

2. Melt the butter on a pan, add a little bit of oil and chopped mushrooms. Season with a generous dose of black pepper and salt. After a while on a pan the mushrooms will give out a lot of water, fry over a low heat until the liquid evaporates and they are completely cooked through. They will reduce in volume quite a lot by that time.

3. Cool the mushroom mixture.

4. Hard boil the eggs.

5. Cool the eggs before deshelling and cutting into half.

6. With a tea spoon delicately remove the egg yolks.

7. Combine the egg yolks with the mushrooms and mayo.

8. Spoon the mushroom and egg yolk filling on the eggs, et voila!

Bon appétit!

A taste of Mexico: guacamole

Time for a taste of Mexico :) According to Wikipedia, guacamole dates all the way back to the Aztec times. Guacamole sauce can be served as a dip to go with nachos, a condiment to be served with tortillas, fajitas or quesadillas or simply as a salad. Today, I served it with fresh white bread (pictured) - if served this way I think it might be a refreshing light lunch idea.

The basic ingredient of guacamole are avocados, also known as alligator pears. They are usually sold not in a ripe state, so you'll probably need to leave them in a warm place for a few days before using. Once they become soft when squeezed, they are ready to use (don't worry if the skin turned brown before softening, it's normal for some varieties).

As for other ingredients of guacamole, they vary - things that you won't see in the version I propose today include garlic, coriander leaves and yoghurt.

You'll need: 
1 avocado
1 medium onion
1 tomato
juice from 1/2 lime (or lemon)
mild chili poder
salt

1. Remove the flesh of the avocado, put in a bowl and squeeze to a pulp with a fork.
2. Add salt and lime juice. Salt serves to bring out the taste of avocados, so it's an absolute must when dealing with them. Thanks to lime juice your avocado won't brown and will stay beautifully green.
3. Cut the tomato into small cubes and chop the onion. Add both to the bowl with the avocado mix.
4. Add some chili powder and stir.
5. Leave aside for at least a few minutes for the flavours to mix, et voila!

Bon appétit!

PS. Although avocados are generally healthy for people (I say generally because some people can have allergic reactions to them), don't serve them to your pets as they are toxic for them!

Sunday morning special

It's a tradition in my house to have scrambled eggs for breakfast each Sunday. Now, I know that making scrambled eggs is something that absolutely everyone can do, it's said to be only slightly more difficult than boiling water. Yet, nearly everone has their own special way of doing that. Some prefer it well stirred, some stir only at the end. Some like it with ground pepper, some believe it's a heresy to add it. And of course, there are many different things you can add to your eggs: dill, onion, bacon, blue cheese, chili or even bamboo or carrots. Below I present my favourite way of preparing scrambled eggs, which is with tomatoes and bacon.

You'll need:
eggs
bacon
tomoto(es)
tomato concentrate
salt

You start by cutting the bacon into small slices and chopping the tomoto(es). You need to fry bacon first, then add chopped tomoto(es). Add a tea spoon of tomoto concentrate, and then add the eggs. Don't forget a pinch of salt (only a pinch coz bacon is usually already salty).

 Personally, I prefer it well stirred. a few more minutes on the pan, et voila!

Perhaps it doesn't look most appetising (the tomotoes give it a slightly funny consistency), but it's really yummy.

TRICK: If you want your scrambled eggs to have a really smooth texture, add a few spoonfulls of milk when frying your eggs. I don't use this trick for this particular version of scrambled eggs though, coz it doesn't go well with the tomatoes which are already a juicy addition.

Bon appétit!

Murakami inspired breakfast

I'm reading Murakami's 1Q84 and I noticed that whenever there is description of a meal, smoked mackerel is mentioned. I realised that I haven't eaten mackarel for a while, so I decided to rectify this oversight today morning.

Some people say that fish doesn't go with dairy, but it's not true! I mixed my smoked mackarel with soft white cheese and added a generous dose of ground pepper to create this very simple sandwich mix. I served it on a freshly baked, still warm baguette. Very tasty and very healthy at the same time :)

It should also go very well with cucumber.

On the topic of sandwiches: living in the country where sandwiches were invented has the advantage of having a sandwich shop around nearly every corner. There are many network shops in the UK specialising in sandwiches. While there is nothing in particular that I have against them, I still think that it is the small local sandwich shops which are worth attention. So if you're ever visiting Westminster, try Stiles Bakery. It's situated on a small cobbled street called Strutton Ground right off Victoria Street. Good quality and even better prices. Yet, my ultimate favourite sandwich shop in the UK so far is Oxford based Mortons. An absolute must if you're visiting Broad Street.

Bon appétit!