Читать книгу A Modern Way to Eat - Debbie Wosskow, Anna Jones - Страница 8
Оглавлениеwhat gets me up in the morning
I’ve never been very good at early mornings, and for years breakfast wasn’t part of my routine. But a few years back, I told myself that I deserved a real breakfast every morning. Whether that’s sitting on my back doorstep, enjoying a cup of coffee and watching the early sun break through the mimosa tree, or hurriedly eating a delicious bowl of granola before rushing out of the door, somehow breakfast for me is setting out my intention of how I want the day to be. Because you need different breakfasts for these different types of days, I’ve split this chapter into two sections – quick and slow.
Toasted oats · just-right eggs · slow-roasted tomatoes · slices of perfectly ripe avocado · charred sourdough toast · a good pot of coffee · steaming bowls of creamy porridge · cloud-light pancakes · chequered waffles · flapjack granola · dessert for breakfast
Blueberry pie porridge
This is a whole-hearted, good-for-you start to the morning, as the quick maple blueberries lift this porridge from standard morning fare to shout-from-the-rooftops delicious.
I use a mixture of amaranth and oats here (and you could use gluten-free ones), as I love the deep nutty taste of amaranth. The way it holds its bite and then pops in your mouth makes a welcome change from the uniform texture of most porridge. You could leave out the amaranth and replace it with more oats, millet or some quinoa flakes – just remember, though, that these will cook much quicker, so keep an eye on them.
I vary the fruit here according to the season – apples work in winter, strawberries and cherries in spring and summer, and plums in autumn.
SERVES 2
2 handfuls of amaranth
2 handfuls of oats
500ml milk of your choice (I like to use coconut milk, see here)
200g blueberries
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
juice of ½ a lemon
First get the porridge going. Put the amaranth and oats into a pan with half the milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Leave to bubble away for 20 minutes, topping up with the rest of the milk when needed and some extra hot water if the porridge starts to look a bit too dry.
While your porridge is cooking, put the blueberries into another pan with the maple syrup, cinnamon and lemon juice and cook over a medium heat. Use a wooden spoon to mash up some of the blueberries and release their deep violet juices, leaving a few whole. They are ready when most of the liquid has reduced to a jammy texture, like a pie filling.
Your porridge is ready when the amaranth grains have softened and absorbed into the creamy oats but still have a little bite.
To serve, pile the porridge into bowls and top with the blueberries and more maple syrup, if you like. Dessert for breakfast.
Overnight Bircher with peaches
Weekday breakfasts for me are usually two bleary minutes before I run out of the door. If you take time over breakfast, good for you. I certainly do when time is on my side. When it’s not, I get clever and make this super-quick muesli the night before.
I add chia seeds because they give a rich creaminess – if you don’t want to add chia, just don’t add as much milk. As good peaches aren’t around all year I often swap them out for other fruits.
A note on chia seeds: these amazing little seeds boost the nutritional value of the breakfast tenfold. They look a bit like poppy seeds and come in a variety of colours: black, white and grey. I use the white ones here. You’ll find them in health food shops and in big supermarkets beside the nuts and seeds. Chia seeds were the food of choice of Aztec and Mayan warriors, and a single tablespoon would keep them going for 24 hours. They are high in protein, so they’re perfect for breakfast time. I use them in smoothies and in baking.
SERVES 2
100g oats
2 tablespoons white chia seeds
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
350ml milk of your choice (I use almond or coconut)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
a dash of all-natural vanilla extract
a little squeeze of lemon juice
2 ripe peaches
SERVE WITH
Winter • a couple of handfuls of chopped dried peaches or pears
Spring • chopped strawberries
Summer • peaches, as recipe
Autumn • chopped sweet, ripe pear
The night before, put the oats, chia seeds and pumpkin seeds into a bowl or container, pour over the milk, and add the maple syrup, vanilla and lemon juice. Mix well, then cover and pop into the fridge overnight.
In the morning, chop the peaches into little chunks, squeeze over a little more lemon and either layer them up with the oats and seeds in a glass or bowl, or just run out of the door with everything in a little container.
Turkish fried eggs
This is a really good weekend breakfast, easily quick enough to squeeze in on weekdays too. It’s filling, fresh and perky from the chilli and will start your day off properly. I use pul biber – Turkish chilli pepper flakes – here. They are easy to find in Turkish corner shops – if you can’t get them, use a chopped fresh red chilli or a tiny pinch of dried, crushed chilli flakes instead.
Pul biber or Aleppo chilli makes its way into a lot of my cooking these days. I love the gentle heat and sweetness. I guess it’s closest to an ancho chilli. It’s got a sweet fruity character, smells of really good sun-dried tomatoes, and still packs a chilli punch. I use it in place of the searingly hot crushed chillies we find in the UK.
SERVES 2
4 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
a good pinch of sea salt
a good knob of butter
4 organic or free-range eggs
2 wholemeal pittas or flatbreads
1 teaspoon Turkish chilli flakes
a good pinch of sumac
a few sprigs of fresh mint, parsley and dill, leaves picked and chopped
Mix the yoghurt and salt in a bowl and leave to one side.
Heat the butter in a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Allow it to begin to brown, then crack in the eggs and turn the heat down, spooning the butter over the eggs until they are cooked exactly how you like them. I like my fried eggs to be just set, with a super-runny middle and just starting to crisp up around the edges. If you are having problems getting your eggs perfect, a lid over the pan can help keep in the heat so that the top and the bottom cook evenly.
Once your eggs are ready, quickly toast your pittas or flatbreads then top with a good spoonful of yoghurt and the fried eggs. Sprinkle over the chilli, sumac and herbs and season with a little salt if needed.
Try these with the Turkish coffee here.
MORNING SMOOTHIES – A FEW WAYS
These smoothies are a glassful of everything you need to start the day off right. I am always in a rush in the morning and find it hard to make time to eat: a 2-minute smoothie helps me walk out the door with a healthy glow before 9am and boosts my protein and nutrient levels sky high. These smoothies are also great to have straight after exercising.
Smoothies are great, as they are so flexible – you can make them with whatever fruits and milk or juice you have to hand, and in the winter you can delve into the freezer for handfuls of frozen berries. But for smoothies to be a generous alternative to couple of pieces of hot honeyed toast or some perfectly scrambled eggs, they need a little bit of consideration. The flavours need to be balanced, there needs to be some protein to keep you satisfied and there needs to be a boost of morning nutrients to start your day properly.
I have included a couple of smoothies with greens here. Green smoothies can be like Marmite, but I hope these blends will win even the more sceptical over. Gram for gram, dark leafy greens are some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, and blitzing greens this way breaks them down and makes it much easier for your body to take in all the goodness.
I have included some notes here on some of the things I like to add to my smoothies for an extra nutrient kick, but they will be delicious without too.
LUCUMA This super fruit comes from Peru, where it’s known as ‘the Gold of the Incas’. It’s a golden-hued pulpy fruit that is utterly delicious, and here you buy it as a powder. Lucuma has a sweet, fresh kind of caramel flavour, so it’s a great option for people with a sweet tooth who are trying to cut down on sugar. Perfect for sprinkling on your porridge or spooning into a smoothie, it’s high in antioxidants and minerals and beta-carotene. You’ll find it in any health food shop. Add between a teaspoon and a tablespoon to your morning smoothie, depending on how sweet you like things.
MACA Another amazing Peruvian root, which comes from the same family as cabbage and broccoli. It comes in powdered form and has an almost malty sweet flavour. It is thought to calm the nervous system, balance our hormones and help our bodies cope with stress. Look for 100% maca root when you are buying it – start with a teaspoon of maca a day in your smoothie and work up to a tablespoon if you like.
HEMP Hemp comes in seed and powder form and both are perfect for adding to smoothies. Hemp is one of the only complete plant sources of protein, making it great for vegetarians or vegans. It is also high in omega 3 and 6 and in fibre, and delivers a solid dose of vitamins, minerals and the super-green chlorophyll. A tablespoon a day in your smoothie or on your yoghurt and granola every day is just right.
BEE POLLEN Not the stuff that floats around in summer and causes sneezing. Bee pollen is the pollen that bees collect from flowers and take back to store in their hives. They go from flower to flower collecting the stuff and packaging it into little golden granules. It may seem a bit out there to be eating this stuff, but it’s an incredible whole food in the truest sense, as it provides our body with almost every nutrient, vitamin and mineral we need, as well as being super-high in protein and digestion-boosting enzymes. You can buy raw bee pollen in granules (not blocks) from your local health food store. If you are able to buy local bee pollen it can help protect against allergies and hayfever. Bee pollen is powerful stuff, so start off with a teaspoon a day for adults, working your way up to a tablespoon, and for kids just a few grains, working up to half a teaspoon.
SPIRULINA AND CHLORELLA Spirulina and chlorella are two types of algae, which are insanely rich in nutrients and protein. When I put either in my morning smoothie I feel so full of energy. The stuff is like natural green caffeine. The taste of both spirulina and chlorella is quite strong, so start with a half a teaspoon and work your way up to couple of teaspoons.
Each of these four recipes makes one giant smoothie that keeps me going until lunchtime. If you can’t skip your cereal or toast, then split this between two for a little morning kick-start.
Put all the ingredients for your choice of smoothie, apart from the ice cubes but including any extra powders you want to use, into the blender. Whiz on low to start with, then turn it up to high for a minute or so. You may need to turn off the blender, take the top off and use a spoon to get everything moving. Whiz until smooth and a vivid green.
Add a few ice cubes and blitz again until completely smooth. If you have added a lot of powders you may need to water the smoothie down with a little cold water.
EASY WAYS TO ADD PROTEIN
A super easy and delicious way to boost the protein in your smoothies is to add a tablespoon of a nut or seed butter. Almond butter and tahini are my favourites, and they add a depth, richness and creaminess to smoothies too.
Oats are a surprisingly good source of protein as well as fibre – a couple of tablespoons in your smoothie will add a lush creaminess. Porridge oats work best but rolled oats work well too; I just soak mine first for a few minutes in some of the milk I will use for my smoothie.
GO TO GREEN
•
1 small banana, peeled
2 apples, cored and chopped
2 large handfuls of greens (spinach or kale)
juice of ½ an lemon
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
a good pinch of ground cinnamon
250ml milk of your choice (I use almond)
AVOCADO AND TOASTED COCONUT
•
½ an avocado
1 banana, peeled
juice of ½ lemon or lime
1 tablespoon chia seeds
375ml coconut water or milk
1 tablespoon toasted coconut
2 dates
a few ice cubes
SESAME AND DATE
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1 banana
2 persimmons or ½ a mango
1 tablespoon tahini
300ml milk of your choice (I use almond)
a small handful of oats
a drizzle of honey
the juice of ½ an orange
2 dates
BERRY AND BASIL
•
1 large handful of berries (blueberries, blackberries or strawberries)
1 large handful of greens
1 banana
5 fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon almond butter
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
200ml milk of your choice (I use almond)
a few ice cubes
Lemon maple granola
Shop-bought granola is the breakfast of choice for most of my friends who want to eat a little better. However, while cleverly branded as health foods, most granolas are full of sugar. This is why I make my own on Sunday night. Just 10 minutes’ work yields a deeply satisfying and beautiful jar of breakfast for the rest of the week. I use a mixture of quinoa flakes and oats for balance, as I find oats a bit heavy for first thing, but this works just as well if you use 300g of one or the other (and using just quinoa will make it gluten free). Use whatever dried fruit you like here. I have kept it simple, but sometimes I like to add dried peaches, pears or plums too when I find them. I find it really pleasing to measure in handfuls, but I have given some weights here too if you prefer to be precise.
Quinoa flakes can be used anywhere you would use oats. I use them for my morning porridge. Quinoa is said to be one of the most complete foods in nature, as it contains a brilliant balance of amino acids, enzymes, vitamins and minerals, fibre and antioxidants. Most importantly, it is a complete source of protein, so it’s perfect if you are cutting down or cutting out other proteins.
MAKES ABOUT 700G, A NICE BIG JAR
8 tablespoons runny honey or maple syrup
2 large handfuls (150g) of rolled oats
2 large handfuls (150g) of quinoa flakes
2 handfuls (80g) of seeds (I use sunflower and pumpkin)
2 handfuls (150g) of nuts (I use skin-on almonds and pecans), chopped
a handful (30g) of unsweetened desiccated coconut
grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
a handful (100g) of raisins
2 handfuls (100g) of any other dried fruit, roughly chopped (I use dates and dried apricots)
SERVE WITH YOGHURT AND FRUIT
Spring • vanilla-poached rhubarb and soya yoghurt
Summer • roasted strawberries with coconut milk yoghurt
Autumn • poached pears with maple syrup
Winter • dates poached in blood orange juice
Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. If you are using honey, heat it in a saucepan until warm (no need to do this if you are using maple syrup). Mix the oats, quinoa flakes, seeds, chopped nuts, coconut and lemon zest in a large bowl, then scatter over two large, lightly oiled baking trays.
Pour over the maple syrup or honey and mix well with your hands to coat everything. Pop into the oven for 20 minutes. Remember to give it a good stir every 5 minutes or so.
After 20 minutes, add all the dried fruits and put back into the oven for another 10 minutes to get that slightly chewy, caramelised fruit texture. Then remove from the oven and allow to cool. Store in airtight jars or containers for up to 1 month.
Ten ways with avocado on toast
To me, avocado on toast is sunny food – it feels right on a summer’s day and brightens up a dreary one. It is a go-to when time is short and cupboards are bare. I often eat it as a hurried breakfast, very simply with some lime, salt and pepper. But these other ways have crept in too.
Since avocado is the star of the show, accept nothing less than soft, yielding, ripe and perfect. Avocados are loaded with good fats and omega 3, like the stuff you find in olive oil, and an artillery of vitamins and minerals. I would struggle to eat without them.
EACH MAKES 2 PIECES OF TOAST
· Mash an avocado with lemon, salt and pepper. Pile onto toasted sourdough, top with tomatoes, a little balsamic vinegar, a bit of basil and some olive oil.
· Mash an avocado with lemon juice and pile onto rye bread with a drizzle of honey.
· Mash an avocado with some lime juice, salt and pepper. Pile onto toasted bread and top with a good sprinkling of chopped, fresh red chilli.
· Mash an avocado with a little lemon juice. Pile onto hot buttered toast and top with a poached egg and some chilli sauce.
· Mash an avocado with a little lemon juice. Spread a toasted bagel with a fine slick of cream cheese and top with the mashed avo, generously grate over lemon zest and sprinkle with lots of black pepper.
· Mash an avocado with a little lime juice, salt and pepper and stir in a chopped spring onion, a teaspoon of toasted mustard seeds and some chopped coriander. Pile onto hot toast.
· Mash your avocado with a tiny bit of lemon juice. Top hot toast with a slick of coconut oil, the mashed avo and then some toasted almonds.
· Mash your avocado with a little lemon juice, pile onto toast, then top with a few thin slices of banana and a sprinkling of cinnamon.
· Mash a ripe avocado with a little lemon juice, pile onto toast, and top with chopped pistachios, some toasted sesame seeds and a little honey and cinnamon.
· Whiz some basil with a little olive oil. Mash an avocado with a little lemon juice and pile onto hot toast, crumble over some feta and pour over the basil oil.
Herbed Parisian scrambled eggs
Sometimes I need a reminder that something simple and classic is really, really good. In my imaginary life where I spend my days roaming around Paris flea markets this is what I would eat for breakfast. Classically, chervil is used in harmony of herbs too, but it’s not easy to find so I’ve left it out; however, if you come across some, buy it – it’s got such a piercingly delicate flavour and is great chucked into green salads. Basil and mint can be thrown into the mix here too.
A note on how to keep soft herbs: I use herbs a lot – their flavours are like nothing else, and each is so completely different from the others, I couldn’t cook without them. I appreciate that buying a lot of herbs for a little breakfast recipe feels extravagant. This is how I make herbs work harder for me. I buy a load once every week or so when they look good at the greengrocer, and I keep them like flowers, in glasses filled with a dash of cold water in the milk-bottle compartment of my fridge. This way they keep for a week or so. Every time I open the fridge I am met with a heady smell and a grassy green wall of herbs, which means they are appreciated and make their way into much more of my cooking.
SERVES 2
a little olive oil or butter
4 really good organic or free-range eggs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a few sprigs each of fresh parsley, tarragon and dill, leaves picked and roughly chopped
2 slices of good buttered toast (I like sourdough)
Everyone has their own way with eggs. This is how I scramble mine.
Heat a little oil or butter in a frying pan on a medium-low heat. Crack the eggs into a bowl, mix with a fork, season well, then pour into the hot pan and use a wooden spoon or a spatula to pull the eggs away from the sides of the pan, creating golden folds. Continue to do this until the eggs are how you like them. I like mine to just come together but keep a faint little bit of wobble.
Take the pan off the heat, taste, add more salt and pepper if necessary, and stir in the herbs. Pile on top of buttered toast.
MY MORNING FRUIT
To my mind there is no better way to start the day than with a bowl of in-season fruit. Here are the bowls I make as the seasons change. Some can be made in a batch for quick weekday breakfasts, others can be put together in a few minutes – try with the granola here.
SPRING
APPLES · PEARS · RHUBARB ·
RASPBERRIES · EARLY STRAWBERRIES
•
•
•
QUICK RHUBARB COMPOTE
for 1 person
Take 4 stalks of rhubarb, chop small and
put in a pan with 4 tablespoons of good honey, a bit of vanilla, if you have it, and the juice of ½ an orange. Simmer for 15 minutes until soft through.
•
•
•
SPRING FRUIT BOWL
for 1 person
Cut up 1 apple and 1 pear, squeeze over the juice of ½ a lime, mash a handful of raspberries with 1 teaspoon of honey and mix the two together.
SUMMER
STRAWBERRIES · CHERRIES · RASPBERRIES ·
PEACHES · APRICOTS ·
BLUEBERRIES · BLACKCURRANTS
•
•
•
RED FRUIT SALAD
for 2 people
Cut up 10 strawberries and 10 cherries. Add a handful of raspberries and a handful of halved red grapes. Squeeze over the juice of ½ a lemon and if you like add a little honey. Optional: sprinkle with bashed coriander seeds.
•
•
•
QUICK APRICOT COMPOTE
makes a small jar
Put 250g of apricots (stoned) into a pan with 2 tablespoons of runny honey and the juice of ½ an orange. Bring to a slow simmer on a medium heat and cook for 10 minutes until softened.
AUTUMN
APPLES · PEARS · PEACHES · NECTARINES ·
PLUMS · BLACKBERRIES
•
•
•
HEDGEROW FRUIT BOWL
for 2 people
Put 1 chopped apple, 1 chopped pear and 2 chopped plums into a bowl with a handful of blackberries, tear in some mint and mix well.
•
•
•
ROSEWATER PEACHES
for 1 person
Place 4 peach halves on a baking tray, drizzle with honey, scatter over vanilla and some pistachios and sprinkle over a tablespoon of rosewater. Bake for 30 minutes until soft through. Serve with yoghurt or goat’s cheese and some toast.
WINTER
APPLES · PEARS · WINTER CITRUS ·
CLEMENTINES · CRANBERRIES
•
•
•
ORCHARD FRUIT BOWL
for 2 people
Chop up 3 ripe pears and add the seeds of ½ a pomegranate and 4 chopped-up dates. Squeeze over the juice of 1 lime and serve.
•
•
•
QUICK SPICED CLEMENTINES
for 2 people
Slice up 4 clementines and lay on a plate, sprinkle with ½ a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and drizzle with honey.
A new eggs Benedict
I’m not sure I know anyone who doesn’t like eggs Benedict, in all its rich hollandaise glory. This is how I make mine. Roasted slices of sweet potato step in for muffins, and avocado and cashews whiz up creamily in seconds with a bit of tarragon to make a killer super-light hollandaise, creamy but not too rich. The sticky onions and spinach sandwich it all together.
I like to make my hollandaise this way, as I find a butter-laden sauce too much of a treat to start the day with (delicious though it is).
In order to get a creamy sauce I soak my cashew nuts in water overnight, but, if you forget, half an hour’s soaking will do. See here for more on soaking nuts.
For this recipe, you need to get your hands on large sweet potatoes so that they are wide enough to sit the poached egg on top.
SERVES 4
2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into 1cm rounds
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive or rapeseed oil
2 medium red onions, peeled and finely sliced
6 handfuls of spinach, washed and any big stalks removed
4 organic or free-range eggs
FOR THE QUICK HOLLANDAISE
a small handful of cashew nuts, soaked in water (see above)
½ an avocado
a small bunch of fresh tarragon or dill, leaves picked
juice of ½ a lime
Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7.
Lay the sweet potato slices on a couple of baking trays, season with salt and pepper, drizzle lightly with oil and roast for 20 minutes, until soft through and crisping at the edges.
Now on to the onions. Put a pan on a medium heat, add a little oil, then add the onions and a pinch of salt. Fry for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the onions are soft and sweet and starting to brown. Scoop them into a bowl and set to one side, keeping the pan to use later.
To make your hollandaise, blitz the drained cashews in a food processor until you have a crumbly paste. Add the avocado and most of the tarragon or dill with the lime juice and a good pinch of salt and pepper and blitz again. If you need to, loosen the sauce with a little water until it is thick but drizzleable.
Heat the pan you cooked the onions in on a medium heat. Add the spinach and a drop of olive oil and cook for a couple of minutes, until it starts to wilt but is still vivid green.
Next, poach the eggs. Heat a pan of water until boiling – I use a frying pan, but use whatever pan is most comfortable for you to poach eggs in. Turn the heat down until the water is barely blipping, then crack in the eggs and leave them to cook for 3–4 minutes. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and drain on some kitchen paper.
To serve, lay some of the sweet potatoes in the middle of each plate. Top with the onions and wilted spinach, then add the egg and a spoonful of hollandaise. Scatter over the rest of the tarragon or dill, season with salt and pepper and dig in.
Other ways to use your quick avocado hollandaise:
· Spooned over griddled asparagus.
· On top of a green spring risotto.
· On top of little smashed-pea toasts.
· Next to a simple poached egg on toast.
· In sandwiches in place of mayonnaise.
Huevos rancheros
I make this dish a lot. It’s the one thing I order without fail at breakfast tables in America. The holy trio of eggs, tomatoes and avocado never fails me. It mostly crops up at my house mid-morning on a Saturday, after a walk to the shop for the paper.
I have kept this version super-simple, as it’s a great thing to be able to throw together in a few minutes without having to dash to the shop. I use spring onions, as they are quick to cook and have a milder note, more suited to the morning I think, but they can just as easily be swapped for thinly sliced red onion. I use fresh tomatoes in the summer, but good-quality tinned ones work for the rest of the year.
The key here is cooking the eggs perfectly. I have tried a few different ways of getting just-set white and runny yolk perfection. The trick that works for me is using a frying pan with a lid and keeping the heat low so that the eggs poach and steam at the same time. I also make a version of this with roasted peppers or slices of smoked tofu instead of the eggs.
It’s really worth investing as much as you can in the eggs you buy. I always buy organic free-range. Eggs are nutrient-loaded, perfectly packaged bundles of goodness. The yolks contain all the vitamins and minerals, and by keeping them runny you actually preserve the nutrients that would be killed off by the heat if you were to cook them all the way through.
SERVES 2 AS A HEARTY BRUNCH
olive oil
4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
1 × 400g tin of tomatoes, or 400g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 ripe avocado
juice of 1 lime
a small bunch of fresh coriander, leaves picked and finely chopped
4 organic or free-range eggs
2 wholemeal or corn tortillas
Heat a splash of olive oil in a medium frying pan (one with a lid that fits) over a moderate heat. Add the spring onions and garlic and fry for 5 minutes, until soft and sweet. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper and the smoked paprika and cook for another couple of minutes.
Next, add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes, until they have broken down and the sauce has thickened.
In the meantime, mash the avocado with the lime juice (I use a potato masher) and the chopped coriander, season with salt and pepper and put to one side.
Once the tomatoes have broken down and thickened, turn the heat down to medium-low. Make 4 small holes in the sauce with the back of a wooden spoon by pushing the sauce out of the way. Crack an egg into each of the holes, season each egg with a little salt and pepper, then pop the lid on and leave to cook for exactly 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes the egg whites should be just set with a hint of a wobble, with the yolks runny in the middle. Remember, they will keep cooking as you take them to the table.
While the eggs are cooking, warm the tortillas – I do this by holding each one over a gas flame with a pair of tongs for a few seconds on each side to char, but 20–30 seconds on each side in a warm non-stick pan will work just as well.
Once the eggs are ready, pile them on to a plate with a decent helping of the spicy tomatoes and some mashed avocado, and scoop up with the charred tortillas.
Lemon ricotta cloud pancakes
Whenever I go out for breakfast I order pancakes. This is my version of the pancakes I had at Gjelina in LA, which were quite simply the best pancakes I have ever eaten.
Chestnut flour makes an appearance here – you can get it in most wholefood shops. It adds a depth and warmth to the flavour and is naturally gluten-free; however, the pancakes would work with just plain flour. Any leftover chestnut flour can be used in cakes and baking (I use a 50/50 mix of chestnut and plain flour) and works wonderfully in place of ground almonds for a deeper, almost caramelly taste. Try it in the chocolate cake here and see here for more information on it.
SERVES 4 (MAKES 8–10 PANCAKES)
250g ricotta cheese
75g plain white or light spelt flour
50g chestnut flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
a good pinch of salt
2 organic or free-range eggs, separated
2 tablespoons golden caster sugar
200ml milk (I use almond milk but normal milk works fine too)
grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
grated zest of ½ an unwaxed orange
butter or coconut oil, for frying
optional: lemon juice
SERVE WITH SEASONAL FRUIT
Spring • quick stewed rhubarb
Summer • raspberries mashed with lemon juice
Autumn • blueberries smashed up with a little maple syrup
Winter • quick sautéed apples and honey
First put the ricotta into a sieve and leave it over a bowl for 10 minutes or so to allow the liquid to drain off.
Meanwhile, mix the flours, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy, then add the sugar and whisk until you have stiff meringue-like peaks. In a jug, whisk the egg yolks with the milk. Add to the flour mixture bit by bit and beat until smooth, then add the lemon and orange zest.
Using a spatula or metal spoon, gently fold half the egg whites into the flour and egg mixture. Now fold in the ricotta, then the rest of the egg whites – you should have a light and fluffy batter.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan on a low heat and add a tiny bit of butter or oil. Working in batches, and using about half a ladleful for each pancake, cook until the bottom is golden and the edges are cooked. Once bubbles have risen to the top, flip and cook on the other side for a minute – then keep warm while you cook the rest. Stack the pancakes high on your plate, with seasonal fruit spooned over and a squeeze of lemon juice, if you like.
Banana, blueberry and pecan pancakes
The reason I became an expert on banana pancakes is a bleak but ultimately happy story. During an enthusiastic surfing lesson on the first day of a holiday in Bali I got burnt to a crisp, and in order to stay out of the sun I spent the rest of the holiday swathed in sarongs perfecting banana pancakes.
This is the result, though they are some way from the honey-drenched Indonesian ones that we ate on holiday. These have something of a banana bread feel to them, and are vegan and gluten free, thanks to using pecans and oats instead of flour and mashed bananas in place of butter.
A note on coconut milk: most supermarkets sell a ready-to-drink coconut milk, which comes in a carton and lives next to the soya and rice milk. Look out for the KoKo brand. It works in most recipes instead of milk and lies somewhere between thick tinned coconut milk and cloudy coconut water. I have it on my morning cereal and in tea. This is the coconut milk I use in most of my cooking, as it is lighter in fat and calories than the heavier tinned version. If you can’t get your hands on it, dilute tinned coconut milk 50/50 with water or just use your normal milk.
MAKES 8 LITTLE PANCAKES
FOR THE BATTER
100g oats
a good handful of pecan nuts (about 50g), roughly chopped
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of sea salt
1 ripe banana, peeled and mashed
150ml coconut milk or almond milk (see note above)
a 200g punnet of blueberries
TO SERVE
2 bananas, peeled and cut into thin slices
a little coconut oil or butter
a few pecan nuts, crumbled
lime wedges
honey or agave syrup
First turn the oven to 120°C/fan 100°C/gas ½ to keep everything warm.
Blitz the oats until you have a scruffy oat flour. Add to a bowl with the pecans and throw in the baking powder and salt.
Mix the mashed banana with the milk (you can do this by blitzing them together in the food processor, if you like). Beat the banana mixture into the flour and leave the batter to sit for a few minutes.
Heat a non-stick pan on a medium heat, then add the banana slices and fry on both sides in the dry pan until brown and caramelised. Keep warm in the oven.
Put the pan back on a medium heat and add a little coconut oil or butter. Drop in a healthy tablespoonful of batter for each pancake. Once the sides are cooked and bubbles have risen to the top, scatter over a handful of blueberries and flip the pancake over. Cook for another couple of minutes on the other side. The pancakes will stay a little moist in the middle because of the banana, so don’t worry. Keep them warm in the oven while you cook the rest.
Serve the pancakes piled with the banana slices. Add some crumbled pecans and a squeeze of lime, and, if you like, a little touch of honey, agave or maple syrup.
A scoop of coconut and banana ice cream turns these into a feel-good pudding too (see here).
Cherry poppy seed waffles
Like bottomless coffee and inch-deep maple syrup and waitresses with name badges, waffles are very American territory to me. I started making them at home last year – I bought a £20 waffle iron and I haven’t looked back, as there is something so good about their crispy chequered exterior. They are quick and easy to make and more consistent than pancakes, and the waffle iron stays squeaky clean, so no washing up. This is my poppy seed-flecked version. I make these waffles with a mixture of oats or quinoa, whizzed to a floury dust in the food processor, but straight up wholemeal flour works well too.
Cherries are hands down my favourite fruit. When British cherries start filling my basket they are all I eat for breakfast until they are gone again. They’re high in iron, so they are useful for people cutting back on iron-rich meats. I keep pitted cherries in the freezer to use all year round, and you can buy good frozen ones from most supermarkets too. These are equally good with raspberries mashed with a little rosewater in place of the cherries.
Instead of using eggs here you can make these pancakes using the incredibly clever natural binding qualities of chia seeds. What I like best about chia seeds is how they work in baking and sweet things. You can use them in place of eggs in almost all baking, just mix 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water for each egg and leave to soak for a few minutes until you have a gloopy mix. I like the crunch of the chia seeds in my cake but if you want to you could grind them to a powder in your food processor before mixing with the water. This mixture works in all the baking in this book, just don’t try scrambling them!
MAKES 8 WAFFLES
FOR THE CHERRIES
500g pitted cherries, fresh or frozen
2 tablespoons honey
FOR THE BATTER
200g oats
4 tablespoons light brown sugar or coconut sugar (see here)
1 tablespoon baking powder
a pinch of sea salt
2 tablespoons poppy seeds, plus extra to serve
200ml natural yoghurt or coconut milk yoghurt
150ml milk of your choice
3 organic or free-range eggs (or see note on chia)
grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
butter or coconut oil, for cooking
TO SERVE
honey
Put the cherries and honey into a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer, then cook for 10 minutes, until just softened, slightly sticky and deep crimson.
Put your waffle iron on a very low heat to warm up. I cook using a gas hob, which heats the waffle iron quite quickly, but you may need to wait a little longer if you have an electric or induction hob. You could use an electric waffle maker set to medium too.
Whiz the oats in a food processor until you have a fine powder, then put into a bowl with the sugar, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds. In a jug, whisk the yoghurt, milk, eggs and lemon zest. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and beat until you have a smooth, thick batter, then pour into a jug to make it easier to fill your waffle iron.
Turn the heat up a little on your waffle iron. Drop a knob of butter or coconut oil on to the base of it and use a brush to persuade it around the iron squares. Flip the iron and do the same for the other side.
Spoon one ladleful of mixture into one side of your hot iron and close the lid. Leave for 2 minutes to crisp up, then flip for another 3 minutes. The waffles are ready once they’re an even golden brown and come away from the sides easily.
Serve with the warm cherries, a sprinkling of poppy seeds and a spoonful of yoghurt and a drizzle of honey.
Dosa-spiced potato cakes with quick cucumber pickle
The best breakfast I have ever eaten was a masala dosa in Fort Cochin, Kerala. This is how I like to work the deep, fragrant, southern Indian flavours into my day. It’s an anytime dish with big flavour hitters in the shape of curry leaves and black mustard seeds, which give the potato the warm subtle punch that is the deeply clever balance of southern Indian food. This is how I almost always use up my leftover mashed potato. Any root veg mash works well here but I find potato takes on the flavours best.
Mashing avocado with these spices is a revelation – I eat this on toast at least once a week.
If curry leaves aren’t easy to get, you can just leave them out. However, curry leaves are wonderful, and if you haven’t come across them before, try to get your hands on some. They have a curious but delicious flavour, and add depth in a way that is difficult to explain, much like a truffle does. I buy a few packets whenever I see them – a lot of supermarkets stock them these days. Store them in a sandwich bag in the freezer and tumble a few out as you need them. They are addictive and also very good for you. They can be mixed with lime and a pinch of sugar in hot water to aid digestion.
SERVES 4
FOR THE POTATO CAKES
olive or coconut oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
10 curry leaves
4 large potatoes, boiled, drained and coarsely mashed, or 4 big spoons of leftover mash
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE AVOCADO
2 ripe avocados, halved and destoned
juice of ½ a lemon
FOR THE QUICK CUCUMBER PICKLE
½ a cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, bashed in a pestle and mortar
a pinch of sugar or a squeeze of agave syrup
grated zest and juice of ½ an unwaxed lemon
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Heat a splash of oil in a frying pan on a medium heat and fry the onion for about 5 minutes, until soft and sweet. Add the mustard seeds and stand back while they pop. Scoop out a heaped tablespoon of the onion mixture and put to one side to cool.
With the pan still on the heat, add the turmeric and curry leaves and fry for another minute or so, then put the whole lot into a bowl to cool slightly.
Add the mashed potato to the onions, then season and mix well. Divide the mixture into 4 portions and shape them into 4 potato cakes. Put them into the fridge to chill while you do a couple of other little jobs.
In another bowl, mash the avocados with the lemon juice (you can use a potato masher here), then stir in the tablespoon of the onion you set aside. Mix, then season well.
To make your pickle, put the sliced cucumber into a bowl and add all the other pickle ingredients. Using your hands, scrunch the cucumber slices to get the flavours going.
Now put your frying pan back on the heat. Take the potato cakes out of the fridge and fry them gently and carefully in a little oil for about 2–3 minutes on each side, until warmed through and crispy brown.
Serve each dosa cake piled with the mustard seed, onion and mashed avocado and with a sprightly spoonful of pickle on the side.
Other ways to use your cucumber pickle:
· Sandwiched inside a veggie burger.
· Next to a bowl of dhal and rice.
· In a bagel with some cream cheese and grated lemon zest.
· In a cheese sandwich.
· Next to any curry.
· To make the best ever cucumber sandwiches.
Wholegrain Sunday brunch
Sometimes a fortifying breakfast or brunch is needed but I have never been on board with heavy, greasy food to start off the day. For me breakfast is the mark of how I want my day to be. I eat this breakfast after a night out or before a day of the same – I guess you could say this is my full English. In autumn and winter, when tomatoes are not at their best, use a few sun-dried tomatoes added at the end instead.
You can make this in the time it takes someone else to go and buy the paper and to brew a decent cup of coffee. I encourage you to try grains rather than toast for breakfast. I find them so much more sustaining than bread and they work perfectly here. If you like, though, a good slice of bread works wonderfully in place of the farro. Sometimes for a really filling brunch I sizzle up a couple of the chestnut bangers here too, or pan-fry a couple of slices of tofu, in place of the egg.
Sage is not perhaps the most obvious choice for a breakfast herb but it works brilliantly here. I love sage – the word, the taste, the bolstering flavour it brings – there is something ancient about it that I adore. In fact it’s a member of the mint family and you can taste the relationship. I love to fry sage leaves in hot oil till perfectly crisp and sprinkle them on fried eggs or roasted squash.
SERVES 2, THOUGH THIS CAN BE EASILY SCALED UP FOR A BIG FRIENDLY BRUNCH
¼ of a butternut squash or similar, deseeded and cut into 1cm slices
2 big field mushrooms
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive or rapeseed oil
100g farro or quinoa
2 healthy vines of cherry tomatoes
a small handful (50g) of almonds
a few sprigs of fresh sage (about 20 leaves)
1 lemon
2 organic or free-range eggs, for poaching (more if you are hungry)
Preheat your oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7.
Place the squash and mushrooms on a tray, season, and drizzle with a little oil. Pop it into the oven for 15 minutes.
Next, get your grain on the go. Rinse it under cold water, then put it into a pan of boiling, salted water and cook the farro for 20–25 minutes, until tender, or the quinoa for 10 minutes, making sure to top up with more water as needed.
Once the squash has had 20 minutes, take the tray out of the oven and add the tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with oil and put back into the oven for another 20 minutes.
To make the sage and almond pesto, toast the almonds in a pan until fragrant and just browning, then remove from the heat. In a pestle and mortar, bash the sage leaves with a pinch of salt. Add the almonds and bash until you have a chunky paste, then pour in 4 tablespoons of oil, squeeze in the juice of a quarter of the lemon and bash again until it’s smoothish. Season with salt and pepper, tasting and balancing to your liking. This can be done in a food processor too.
Finally, get a pan of boiling water on to poach your eggs (I use a frying pan). Turn the heat down until the water is barely blipping, then crack in the eggs and leave to cook for 3–4 minutes. Scoop out with a slotted spoon on to some kitchen paper.
Spoon the grain on to plates, pile on the sticky roasted veg, top with an egg, then drizzle generously with the pesto and enjoy at a slow pace.
