Recipe List
HOMEMADE GRANOLA WITH SPINACH, NATURAL YOGHURT & FRESH BERRIES
FORCED RHUBARB & CARDAMOM BREAKFAST COMPOTE
HONEYED CARDAMOM-SOAKED APRICOTS WITH PISTACHIOS & GREEK YOGHURT
SMOKED SALMON BAGEL BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
LEFTOVER BAKED INDIAN-SPICED POTATOES WITH TOMATO, EGG & CORIANDER
CHICKEN LIVERS & ONIONS ON TOAST
SINGLE-SERVING SPICY BAKED EGGS IN TOMATO SAUCE
BAKED EGG & HOMEMADE BAKED BEAN POTS
DIPPY EGGS WITH ANCHOVY BUTTER SOLDIERS
CLASSIC DUTCH BABY PANCAKE WITH LEMON & SUGAR
BLUEBERRY & OAT BREAKFAST MUFFINS
BREAKFAST GRITS WITH STRAWBERRIES & MAPLE SYRUP
STRAWBERRY & RICOTTA BREAKFAST TOAST WITH LEMON HONEY
CHEAT’S VEGETABLE JUICE BLOODY MARY
HANGOVER-CURE MEXICAN CHILAQUILES
SMOKED SALMON LATKES WITH LEMON CRÈME FRAÎCHE, CHOPPED RED ONION & CAPERS
HOMEMADE GRANOLA WITH SPINACH, NATURAL YOGHURT & FRESH BERRIES
When I first saw granola served with spinach and yoghurt on the menu during my Study Abroad year in California, I could not understand how raw spinach could work as part of a breakfast dish. Yet if you were to blend all of the ingredients here into a smoothie, nothing would seem unusual. Served either way, it’s a great combination.
You can use whatever you like in your granola, from different nuts and seeds to dried fruit; it is all down to personal preference. Also, while I enjoy soft berries such as strawberries and raspberries for breakfast, you can use anything you like or that is in season, from sliced apple and pomegranate seeds to grapefruit segments.
MAKES: 5 portions
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 10–12 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
1 tablespoon light oil
1½ tablespoons runny honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FRESH
4½ tablespoons maple syrup
150g porridge oats
30g pumpkin seeds
40g blanched almond flakes
50g unsweetened desiccated coconut
3–4 generous spoonfuls of natural or Greek yoghurt
a small handful of baby spinach
a small handful of seasonal berries
1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas mark 2.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, 1 tablespoon of the honey, the maple syrup and vanilla extract. Stir in the oats, pumpkin seeds, almonds and coconut until everything is completely coated in the syrup mixture.
3. Line a large, flat baking tray with baking parchment and spread the oat mixture out across the tray. It does not matter if you have a few clumps, because this is how you get nice crunchy granola clusters.
4. Bake the granola for 10 to 12 minutes until it has started to go golden. Set the tray aside to cool completely; the granola will be soft when it comes out of the oven, but will crisp up and harden as it cools.
5. Portion out the yoghurt, spinach, granola and fresh fruit into soup bowls before drizzling with the remaining honey.
6. Store the granola in an airtight container. It should keep for at least 2 weeks.
FORCED RHUBARB & CARDAMOM BREAKFAST COMPOTE
I like long weekend breakfast and brunch projects, but actually eating something that is not a chocolate chip cookie (guilty!) when I’m in a hurry during the week is a challenge. One way I’ve found of combating this is to make up a bowl of compote to keep in the fridge. It is excellent spooned over fresh yoghurt (with a handful of Homemade Granola, here), oatmeal and even pancakes for more relaxed mornings.
Cardamom is one of my favourite spices. I sometimes replace the vanilla in the custard mix for a bread and butter pudding with a couple of cardamom pods. It adds a bit of perfume and an exotic Middle Eastern flavour to the rhubarb here, making this compote something extra special.
MAKES: 6 portions
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 10–15 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
2 tablespoons golden caster sugar
FRESH
4 stalks of forced rhubarb
juice of 1 orange
4 green cardamom pods
1. Wash the rhubarb, cut off the white bits at the bottom and any green at the top, and cut into 2cm chunks. Place the chunks in a medium saucepan along with the sugar, orange juice and the cardamom pods, lightly crushed under a heavy object (like the end of a rolling pin) to release the seeds.
2. Stir to combine, and cook over a high heat until the juice starts to boil. Stir, reduce the heat to medium and cover.
3. Leave to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb has broken down into a smooth compote. Add a bit more sugar if it tastes a little tart, and fish out the green cardamom husks and as many black seeds as you can find.
4. Let the compote cool to room temperature before you transfer to a bowl. Cover and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
HONEYED CARDAMOM-SOAKED APRICOTS WITH PISTACHIOS & GREEK YOGHURT
This is a great, make-ahead breakfast you can stash in the fridge when you know you’ve got an early start in the morning. You can also let it bubble away while you’re making something else for dinner.
You can easily scale it up, but to make sure you get a good ratio of syrup to apricot, scale up your saucepan size too. For example, if you’re doubling the mixture, use a medium saucepan, and if you’re tripling it, use a large one. Make sure that the liquid is always just covering the apricots.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 20 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
½ tablespoon runny honey
FRESH
8 dried apricots
juice of ½ orange
2 green cardamom pods
4 generous spoonfuls of Greek yoghurt
a small handful of shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
1. Combine the apricots, honey, orange juice and 150ml water in a small saucepan. Lightly crush the cardamom pods using the flat side of a large knife and add them to the pan.
2. Bring the mixture to the boil over a high heat, then reduce the heat to medium low. Allow the apricots to simmer away for 20 minutes. Leave to cool before transferring to a bowl, then covering and stashing in the fridge.
3. Remove the cardamom pods from the syrup and discard them. Serve the apricots spooned over Greek yoghurt and sprinkled with a small handful of pistachios. The apricots will keep for a couple of days in the fridge.
CHORIZO BAKED BEANS
Since making my own, I’ve never been able to eat tinned baked beans. Here the chorizo makes them a bit smokier and a bit more substantial in flavour. Even when I’m just cooking for myself, I like to make a big pan of these for a Sunday night supper on toast, perhaps with a fried egg, so there are then enough in the fridge for days when I need something a bit more hearty for breakfast. I also use them to make my Baked Egg & Homemade Baked Bean Pots (here), and a couple of spoonfuls are great with a full English.
MAKES: 6 portions
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 45 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
½ tablespoon light oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
200ml chicken stock (made with ½ stock cube)
2 × 400g tins chopped tomatoes
½ tablespoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
a large pinch of golden caster sugar
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
8cm eating chorizo
2 × 400g tins cannellini beans
1. Add the oil and the onion to a large heavy-based saucepan and set it over a medium heat. Once the onion starts to sizzle, cook for about 5 minutes until it starts to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes until the garlic has softened. Meanwhile, cut the chorizo into small cubes.
2. Add the chorizo to the pan and fry for 6 to 8 minutes until the oil has started to come out of the chorizo and it has gone a little crispy around the edges.
3. Open the beans into a sieve and rinse under a cold tap. Add them to the pan, along with the stock, tomatoes, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, balsamic vinegar, sugar and a good few grinds of salt and pepper. Stir well and reduce the heat to low. Allow to simmer without a lid for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
SMOKED SALMON BAGEL BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
I love the breakfast ‘casserole’, an idea that hails from the American South. Chunks of bread and all manner of different accompaniments are soaked in a wonderful eggy mixture. They are then baked together to yield a soft, chewy bottom and a wonderfully crunchy top.
Inspired by the smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels sold on Brick Lane at any time of the day or night (which were perfect for my late-night study sessions), I’ve given the American classic a slightly Yiddish twist with the addition of smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onions and vinegary capers.
I like all of the eggy goodness to have soaked into the bread, so I only use two eggs. However, if you’d like a slightly more set casserole with more discernible egg, use an extra egg and an additional 50ml of milk. You may have to bake the casserole for a few minutes more to ensure that the egg is set.
SERVES: 2–3
PREP TIME: 15 minutes, plus overnight chillling
COOKING TIME: 15 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
¼ red onion
4 teaspoons nonpareille capers
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
unsalted butter, for greasing the dish
3 bagels
2 slices of smoked salmon
cream cheese
2 large eggs
100ml milk
1. Butter an ovenproof baking dish so that the casserole does not stick to the sides.
2. Cut the bagels into small chunks and scatter them in the dish. It should be a snug fit, but comfortable enough to fit the other toppings.
3. Slice the red onion and tear the smoked salmon into small strips. Scatter these, along with the capers, over the bagel layer, tucking bits of salmon and onion into any gaps. Spoon the cream cheese into other gaps in even dollops.
4. Whisk together the eggs, milk and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Pour this evenly over the casserole and finish with another few grinds of salt and pepper over the top. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
5. In the morning, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
6. Take the casserole out of the fridge to bring it up to room temperature. Once the oven is up to temperature, bake the casserole for 15 minutes, until the top is crisp and the whole thing has puffed up a little.
7. Serve with a glass of orange juice and a green salad.
LEFTOVER BAKED INDIAN-SPICED POTATOES WITH TOMATO, EGG & CORIANDER
This is another dish that is fantastic for using up leftovers. It is also super-quick to throw together, so is perfect to make in the morning before class.
Alternatively, if you’ve agreed to make weekend brunch for a couple of friends, you can make an entire batch of Indian Spiced Potatoes (here), up the amount of tomatoes and fresh coriander, and use one egg per person in the largest frying pan you have. Carry the whole thing to the table and serve with a pitcher of Cheat’s Vegetable Juice Bloody Mary (here).
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 5 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
a splash of light oil
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
a generous handful of leftover Indian Spiced Potatoes (here)
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large egg
a small handful of fresh coriander, roughly torn
1. Heat a splash of oil in a small (preferably non-stick) frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the potatoes and the tomatoes and stir briefly. Create a well in the middle and crack in the egg.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the egg is set. Remove the pan from the heat. Season well with freshly ground sea salt and black pepper and sprinkle generously with fresh coriander. Transfer the egg and potato mixture onto a warm plate to serve.
CLASSIC SAVOURY EGGY BREAD
You can make eggy bread with any stale, leftover bread, but I think it is best with leftover pieces of baguette. While the addition of Worcestershire sauce to the egg mixture is not traditional, I think it adds a subtle savoury boost to the proceedings. Feel free to leave it out if you prefer, or add a little more if you like the flavour.
Serve with grilled cherry tomatoes or some tomato ketchup, whichever takes your fancy. I’m a ketchup girl all the way!
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 10 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
a dash of Worcestershire sauce
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
a very generous glug of light oil
FRESH
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
6–8 × 4cm rounds of leftover baguette
1. Beat together the egg, milk, Worcestershire sauce and a very generous few grinds of sea salt and black pepper in a shallow dish. Add the bread rounds and leave to soak in the egg mixture for about a minute, before turning them over.
2. Heat the oil in a large (preferably non-stick) frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, fry the bread rounds until golden on one side. Turn them over to cook on the other side until they’re crisp and golden all over. Serve straight away.
CHICKEN LIVERS & ONIONS ON TOAST
I’ve always loved chicken livers, but I didn’t start eating them for breakfast until I stopped making it home for dinner. I used to buy them on special offer and stash them in the freezer. I’d take a portion out to defrost with good intentions of making it back, but would end up cooking them in a rush before class the next morning after spending the evening in the pub instead.
For those of you who are slightly unsure about eating liver for breakfast, give it a go. Chicken livers are very cheap, super-delicious and cook really quickly.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 15 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
1 large onion, thinly sliced
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
a very large knob of unsalted butter
4 slices of bread
400g chicken livers
a small handful of roughly chopped fresh parsley (optional)
1. Set a medium frying pan over a medium-high heat and melt the butter until it becomes frothy. Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until it’s soft and starting to go golden. Now is also the time to toast your bread.
2. Add the livers and cook for 6 to 7 minutes until they have started to brown on the outside, but are still slightly pink on the inside if you cut into one. Season generously with salt and pepper and serve spooned over the toast, sprinkled with chopped fresh parsley, if you happen to have any hanging around.
SINGLE-SERVING SPICY BAKED EGGS IN TOMATO SAUCE
This is a total cheat’s version of the Middle Eastern classic, which just so happens to be one of the easiest and most impressive savoury breakfasts you can make.
You can get more out of this recipe by doubling up on the sauce so you can use the leftovers from the fridge for 10-minute eggs any morning of the week. You can also triple or quadruple the whole thing to feed a few more of you.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 20 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced
a splash of light oil
½ × 400g tin chopped tomatoes
½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
a pinch of golden caster sugar
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
¼ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1 large egg
roughly chopped fresh coriander, to serve
toast, to serve
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
2. Add the garlic to a small, cold frying pan, along with a splash of light oil. Set over a medium heat. When the garlic has started to sizzle, add the tomatoes, spices, a pinch of sugar and a generous few grinds of salt and pepper. Allow to bubble for 5 minutes. Check you’re happy with the seasoning. Add more salt if you think it is a little bland, and more sugar if it is too tart.
3. Transfer the sauce into a small, shallow baking dish. Crack the egg into the middle of the sauce and bake in the oven for 10 minutes until the egg has just set. Sprinkle with coriander just before serving with lots of hot toast.
BAKED EGG & HOMEMADE BAKED BEAN POTS
Inspired by a popular fast food joint serving 100% natural and homemade dishes, these deliciously simple baked bean pots are ready in the time it takes to get dressed in the morning. You can make these in any small ovenproof dish, or even in the bottom of a mug. While leftover homemade beans are best, you can always used the tinned variety, too.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 15 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
a portion of leftover Chorizo Baked Beans (here)
1 large egg
buttered toast, to serve
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
2. Fill a small ovenproof ramekin or pot three-quarters full with leftover baked beans. Crack an egg on top and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes until the egg is just set. Serve with buttered toast.
GREEN EGGS & HAM
This is another brunch dish I had out at a restaurant, where I decided I could create a much more affordable version at home. It has become one of my favourites to eat in the spring, when I’m looking forward to the lighter eating of the warmer months, and I want everything to be fresh and green.
Use Parma ham or prosciutto here, if you can afford it. If not, wafer-thin ham would be equally delicious. You can use either jarred or fresh pesto here, whichever you have to hand.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 5 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
a splash of light oil
1 tablespoon pesto
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
1 English breakfast muffin
4 slices of ham (see introduction, here)
a large handful of rocket
2 large eggs
1. Halve the muffin and toast it. Drape two slices of ham over each half and scatter with rocket.
2. Heat a small non-stick saucepan with a splash of oil over a medium-high heat. Fry both of the eggs until the whites are just set.
3. Top each half of the muffin with an egg. Mix a little water into the pesto to make it thin enough to drizzle, and drizzle it over each egg. Season the eggs with a generous few grinds of sea salt and black pepper.
CALIFORNIA SCRAMBLED EGGS
This is my favourite way to eat scrambled eggs in the morning. I’ve used good unsalted butter to scramble the eggs here, but you could also use 2 tablespoons of cold-pressed extra virgin coconut oil. However, coconut oil can be expensive, and good butter always makes excellent eggs.
This is a delicious way to use up leftover Pico de Gallo Salsa, if you’ve made a bowl to pair with Chicken Fajitas (here) or to top a baked potato.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 5 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
5 large eggs
1 large ripe avocado
4 slices of bread
a very large knob of unsalted butter
4 tablespoons Pico de Gallo Salsa (here)
1. Beat together the eggs with a generous few grinds of sea salt and black pepper. Slice the avocado and toast the bread. Leave the bread in the toaster to keep it warm while you scramble the eggs.
2. Set a small saucepan over a medium-high heat and melt the butter. Once the butter is frothy (or the coconut oil if, you’re using it, is shimmering), add the eggs and stir constantly, scraping the bottom until you have a soft scramble.
3. Arrange the toast and the avocado on two plates and divide the eggs between them. Spoon over the salsa and finish with a few grinds of pepper.
DIPPY EGGS WITH ANCHOVY BUTTER SOLDIERS
You’ve got one of my favourite places to have brunch in London, Beagle in Hoxton, to thank for the inspiration for this stupidly simple and moreish anchovy butter, slathered on farmhouse soldiers and dunked into deliciously gooey eggs.
I like to buy anchovies packed in olive or sunflower oil rather than in salt, as I find it is easier to regulate the amount of salt in a dish this way.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 5 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
2–3 anchovy fillets in olive oil
FRESH
2 large eggs
2 thick slices of bread
a very large knob of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1. Add the eggs to a vigorously boiling saucepan of water and boil for exactly 5 minutes to achieve the perfect set whites and runny yolks. Meanwhile, toast the bread to your liking, and mash the anchovies into the butter on a small plate until you’d made a smooth butter. Spread on the hot toast and slice into soldiers. Transfer the eggs to a pair of egg cups before digging in.
HOW TO BOIL THE PERFECT EGG
Boiled eggs are really easy to get right as long as you stick to the times below, which are for large eggs at room temperature, not cold from the fridge.
5 minutes – the perfect soft-boiled egg, with a hard white and runny yolk.
6 minutes – the perfect medium-boiled egg, with a hard white and yolk that is just set enough to slice for salads.
9 minutes – the perfect hard-boiled egg, with a hard white and a chalky yolk.
Make sure your saucepan of water is set over a very high heat and is at a rolling boil (which means it is very, very bubbly).
Sometimes your eggs, even if they’re at room temperature, will crack when you place them in the boiling water. However, the easiest way to try and prevent this is to stop the egg shells cracking on the bottom of the pan. Do this by lowering each egg into the water using a large spoon.
OVERNIGHT BUTTERMILK PANCAKES
This basic buttermilk American-style pancake batter is the starting point for the perfect weekend breakfast. You don’t have to make the batter ahead and leave it in the fridge overnight, but I find that it does not affect the pancakes at all if you do, and it will help save time in the morning.
Serve with whichever fresh fruits, chopped nuts or syrups you fancy. You can make these into blueberry pancakes by throwing a few fresh berries on top of each pancake in the pan before you flip them.
MAKES: 5–6 pancakes
PREP TIME: 5 minutes, plus overnight chilling (optional)
COOKING TIME: 30 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
1½ tablespoons golden caster sugar
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
a pinch of salt
8 tablespoons plain flour
light oil
FRESH
1 large egg
140ml buttermilk (half a carton)
1. Combine the sugar, bicarbonate of soda, salt and flour in a medium bowl.
2. In a separate bowl or jug, whisk together the egg and buttermilk. Gradually whisk this into the flour mixture until you have a smooth batter. If you choose to refrigerate the batter at this point, cover the bowl with cling film before stashing it in the fridge.
3. When you are ready to cook, heat a medium or large (preferably non-stick) frying pan over a medium heat. If the pan is non-stick, you’ll only need a splash of oil to cook with. If it isn’t non-stick, you may need a bit more.
4. Once the oil is hot, spoon two to three spoonfuls of batter into the pan. Cook the pancake for 5 minutes, flipping it over once the edges have started to brown and the batter has started to bubble up in the middle of the pancake. Keep warm while you cook the rest of the pancakes.
AUTUMN-SPICED BANANA PANCAKES
When life gives you a couple of brown, squishy bananas, you make banana bread. However, when you’ve only got one such banana to hand, clearly the most sensible option is to knock up a towering stack of banana-studded pancakes made with warming, autumn spices.
Serve with maple syrup, and a couple of handfuls of chopped nuts toasted in a hot, dry frying pan.
MAKES: 5–6 pancakes
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 30 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
70g plain flour
1 tablespoon golden caster sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
2 teaspoons light oil, plus a little extra for the pan
FRESH
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 large ripe banana
1 large egg
70ml buttermilk (quarter of a carton)
1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices in a medium or large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mash half the banana and slice the other half into thin slices (you want about two to three slices for each pancake). Whisk the egg, oil and buttermilk into the mashed banana. Gradually whisk the liquid mixture into the flour mixture until the batter is smooth.
3. Heat a medium or large, preferably non-stick, frying pan over a medium heat. If the pan is non-stick, you’ll only need a splash of oil to cook with. If it isn’t non-stick, you may need a bit more.
4. Once the oil is hot, spoon two to three spoonfuls of batter into the pan, to form one pancake, and place two to three slices of banana on top. Cook until the edges are slightly crisp and the batter starts to bubble up in the middle, then flip the pancake over to cook for another few minutes. You can cook two in the pan at a time if it is big enough.
5. Place the pancakes on a warm plate lined with kitchen paper while you cook the rest of the pancakes.
CLASSIC DUTCH BABY PANCAKE WITH LEMON & SUGAR
Baked pancakes are magical. What starts off as a regular batter puffs up around the edges like a Yorkshire pudding, rippling down in the middle into the densest, most glorious pancake you’ve ever eaten. I like to serve it with classic lemon and sugar, but the 15 minutes you have while the pancake is in the oven gives you plenty of time to dream up all manner of toppings.
You’ll need a balloon whisk or an electric whisk for this recipe rather than using a fork to beat the ingredients together. A fork will not get enough air into the eggs.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 15 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
1 tablespoon golden caster sugar, plus extra to serve
3 tablespoons plain flour
a large pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FRESH
2 large eggs
5½ tablespoons whole milk
a very large knob of unsalted butter
lemon wedges, to serve
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
2. Whisk the eggs and the sugar together using a balloon whisk or an electric whisk until the mixture is frothy and very pale in colour. Whisk in the flour, salt, milk and vanilla.
3. Melt the butter in a medium frying pan with an ovenproof handle over a very high heat. Once the butter has melted, swish the melted butter up the sides of the pan.
4. Pour the pancake batter into the middle of the pan, tipping the pan so that the batter covers the base in an even layer. Put the pan in the oven to bake for 15 minutes until the pancake is crisp, puffy and golden.
5. Serve with lemon wedges and a generous sprinkling of sugar.
BLUEBERRY & OAT BREAKFAST MUFFINS
Muffins are among the easiest cakes to make, and the hardest to screw up. This makes them ideal for first thing in the morning! If you’re looking for a sweeter, more sugary muffin, you need to turn to my Banana & Nutella Muffins (here).
These breakfast muffins only have a little bit of added sugar, and are instead packed with flavourful and energy-boosting seeds, blueberries and oats. They’re perfect to start the day with, either by themselves when they’re fresh and warm from the oven, or toasted and spread with salted butter the next morning.
MAKES: 6
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 20 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
130g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
2 tablespoons golden caster sugar
50ml light oil
FRESH
a generous handful of pumpkin seeds
2 large handfuls of fresh blueberries
100ml buttermilk
1 large egg
a handful of porridge oats
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, pumpkin seeds and blueberries.
3. In a separate bowl or jug, whisk together the buttermilk, oil and egg until smooth.
4. Stir the liquid mixture into the dry mixture until everything is just combined. It does not matter if you still have a few lumps of flour in the mix, but if you overmix the batter you’ll get tough muffins.
5. Spoon the mixture into six paper muffin cases placed in a muffin tin, if you have one. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with porridge oats and bake the muffins for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the muffins from the tin and allow them to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before eating.
BREAKFAST GRITS WITH STRAWBERRIES & MAPLE SYRUP
When it is freezing cold outside a rich and creamy bowl of polenta makes a great accompaniment for practically anything Italian and with a tomato base, such as my Sausage Bolognese (here). However, I also love it for an indulgent winter breakfast, topped off with a few strawberries and a generous glug of maple syrup.
Different polenta brands take slightly different times to cook. Make sure you have a little extra water to hand, because if your polenta does take a little longer to get soft and smooth, you’ll be needing to add it splash by splash. However, don’t buy quick-cook polenta, as it is not suitable here.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 15 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
40g yellow polenta
120ml milk
a very large knob of unsalted butter
6-8 strawberries, hulled and sliced
a generous drizzle of maple syrup
1. Combine a very large pinch of sea salt and 180ml water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil over a high heat. Reduce the water to a simmer and add the polenta. Keep stirring until all of the water has been absorbed and the polenta is thick and hard to stir.
2. Add the milk and butter and stir again until the polenta is thick and the right consistency for you; this is down to personal preference. Season generously with salt and pepper. If you taste the polenta and it is gritty rather than smooth, add a bit more water and stir until it is all absorbed.
3. Spoon the polenta into a warm bowl, top with the strawberries, maple syrup and a generous few grinds of black pepper.
STRAWBERRY & RICOTTA BREAKFAST TOAST WITH LEMON HONEY
This super-quick and easy breakfast toast is great for using up leftovers. The last couple of strawberries from the punnet taste great on top of the last few scrapings from a tub of ricotta, and the juice from the last quarter of a lemon really brightens up the toppings for a thick toasted slice of a slightly stale loaf.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
1 tablespoon runny honey
freshly ground black pepper
FRESH
1 thick slice of farmhouse bread
½ tablespoon lemon juice
4–5 strawberries, hulled
60g ricotta
1. Toast the bread while you prepare the rest of your ingredients. In a small dish, mix together the lemon juice and the honey. Slice the strawberries.
2. Pile the ricotta onto the toast, followed by the strawberry slices. Drizzle with the honey and lemon mixture, and finish with a few generous grinds of black pepper.
CHEAT’S VEGETABLE JUICE BLOODY MARY
The very best Bloody Marys are made with a range of different vegetable and spice flavours, making for a more complex drink. A cheat’s way of achieving this is to use vegetable juice rather than tomato juice.
This recipe serves one, so it can be easily scaled up to make a jugful if you’re throwing a weekend brunch party.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
¼ teaspoon Tabasco
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
a few grinds of sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
80ml vodka
1 tablespoon lemon juice
160ml vegetable juice
a small handful of ice cubes
a leafy celery stick (optional), to garnish
1. Add all of the ingredients except for the celery stick to a large jam jar with a lid that seals very well. Make sure the jar is sealed, shake really well and pour into a tall glass, garnishing with the celery stick. Alternatively, mix everything up together in the glass until combined using a very long spoon.
HANGOVER-CURE MEXICAN CHILAQUILES
I know that with my British passport and all I’m supposed to fly the flag for the good old full English. However, if you ask me, the nation that produces the very best breakfasts is Mexico. My favourite of all the corn- and salsa-heavy Mexican breakfast dishes? Chilaquiles – a breakfast of leftovers.
In that vein, the measurements here are just a rough guide. The idea is to use up leftover Mexican ingredients from making something like Chicken Fajitas (here) the night before.
You can find tins of black beans in the ethnic foods section of most supermarkets. Red kidney beans would make a good substitute.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 15 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
a splash of light oil
¼ red onion
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
1 large flour tortilla
1 large radish
6 teaspoons Pico de Gallo Salsa (here)
5 tablespoons tinned black beans
1 large egg
a small handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1 small avocado, sliced
1 lime wedge
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
2. Use scissors to cut up the tortilla into pieces the size and shape of tortilla chips, and spread across a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes until slightly golden and crispy. Leave to cool on the baking tray.
3. Heat a splash of oil in a medium (preferably non-stick) frying pan over a medium heat. While the pan is heating up, thinly slice the red onion and radish. Fry the onion until soft. Add 4 teaspoons of the salsa and cook for about a minute, before stirring in the black beans.
4. Add the baked tortilla chips to the pan and stir in as much as you can until the tortilla chips are partially coated in salsa and beans, and they have started to go soft in a few places.
5. Make a shallow well in the middle of the pan and crack in the egg. Cook for about 5 minutes until the egg is set. Season the whole pan with salt and pepper and drizzle with the remainder of the salsa. Scatter with fresh coriander and sliced radish and slide the contents of the pan onto a plate. Serve with sliced avocado and a fresh lime wedge on the side.
SMOKED SALMON LATKES WITH LEMON CRÈME FRAÎCHE, CHOPPED RED ONION & CAPERS
This is the perfect fancy brunch for two. The classic Jewish potato latke has been gussied up with thin strips of smoked salmon, which gently cook and infuse the surrounding potato with wonderfully rich flavour. A little bit of salmon also goes a long way here, so use the rest of the packet to make a round or two of sandwiches.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
COOKING TIME: 20 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
light oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
3 slices of smoked salmon
¼ red onion
1 tablespoon nonpareille capers
FRESH
1 large baking potato, peeled
2 large eggs
juice of ¼ lemon
4 tablespoons crème fraîche
1. Add the white onion, garlic and a splash of oil to a small frying pan and set over a medium heat. Cook the onion and the garlic until the onion is soft and starting to go golden, then remove them from the heat.
2. While you’re frying the onion, coarsely grate the potato. Mix with a generous pinch of sea salt in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Beat together the eggs, flour, baking powder and a generous few grinds of black pepper to make a thick paste. Stir in the cooked onion and garlic.
4. Squeeze any excess liquid out of the grated potato over the sink in small handfuls and stir it into the onion and egg mixture. Slice the salmon into thin strips and stir them into the mixture too.
5. Heat a generous glug of oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry a couple of spoonfuls of the potato mixture at a time for a few minutes on each side until they are golden. As you’re cooking in batches (you should get about 8 latkes), keep the rest of the latkes hot on a warm plate lined with kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil from frying.
6. While you’re making the latkes, finely chop the red onion and leave it to soak in a small bowl of cold water. This will take the bite out of the raw onion. Meanwhile, mix the lemon juice into the crème fraîche.
7. To serve, pile the latkes up in two stacks, topping each one with a dollop of the lemon crème fraîche, capers and chopped red onion, drained and dried on a piece of kitchen paper first.
FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST QUICHE
This quiche is great for lunch served with a side salad. However, I like it best as the perfect centrepiece to a lazy weekend brunch, made the night before.
If you don’t have a pie or tart dish for your quiche, use whatever shallow ovenproof pan you can find with sides at least 4cm high and big enough to take all of your quiche filling.
After making your pastry case, you can make jam tarts by cutting the scraps into small circles, pressing them into the holes of a muffin tin and spooning a teaspoon or two of jam into the mini pastry cases. Bake them with your quiche until the pastry is golden; this will take less time than the quiche takes to cook.
SERVES: 6
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
COOKING TIME: 50 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
2 sausages
4 rashers of streaky bacon, chopped (I find it much easier using scissors)
5–6 chestnut mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1 × 150ml pot single cream
50ml milk
unsalted butter, for greasing the dish
12 cherry tomatoes
1 × 320g shortcrust pastry sheet
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
2. Using a sharp knife, poke a few holes in each sausage so a lot of the water and fat comes out of them while they are cooking. Cook for 20 minutes. Once they are cooked through, leave them to cool.
3. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. If you’re using a glass or metal dish to bake your quiche in, also put a baking tray in the oven to heat up. By cooking your quiche on this hot metal tray, you’re less likely to get a soggy bottom.
4. Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the bacon and the mushrooms together without any oil. Fry for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms are soft and the bacon has started to brown. Transfer from the pan to a plate lined with a couple of sheets of kitchen paper to soak up as much excess fat as possible. Slice the sausages into small pieces and leave them to drain on the plate, too.
5. While the bacon and mushrooms are frying, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, cream, milk and a generous few grinds of salt and pepper to make the quiche filling.
6. Grease your dish generously with butter. If your pastry sheet is just that little bit too small to line the dish, sprinkle a clean work surface with flour and, using a rolling pin (or a bottle of wine!), roll it out a little thinner. Slide the dish under the pastry sheet to help line it without tearing the pastry, and push the pastry into the edges of the dish. If it does tear, don’t worry! You can easily patch the pastry case with scraps from around the edges; the patches will get covered up with filling anyway.
7. To tidy up your pastry case, lift the dish up in the air and, using a very sharp knife, carefully slice any excess pastry from around the edges. By lifting your dish into the air you’re making sure you cut at an angle that prevents the pastry from shrinking too much in the oven.
8. Sprinkle the mushroom, bacon and sausage mixture evenly across the bottom of the pastry case and arrange the cherry tomatoes evenly over the top. Pour over the quiche mixture and bake in the oven for 25 minutes until the pastry is golden and the quiche mixture has set and started to brown. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
