spork me

Well, I’ve been incredibly slack about posting after a couple epic work and non-work overseas adventures, but I’ll be back in action once I run out of 2 minute noodles and remember how to use my washing machine.

In the meantime, here’s some gratuitous breakfast porn.

Pulled Pork and Scrambled Egg Arepas

Every now and then I see an idea and think, “why didn’t I think of that?”. Such is the case with Sydney start-up Hungry Mondays, who slow-cooks food all weekend for Monday delivery, in vacuum sealed bags that stay fresh for 10 days. Now, while I think my barbeque pulled pork is better as I prefer a different style of barbeque (I am not-so-subtly petitioning to guest chef), I had some leftovers from the massive portion I attempted to eat for a late night snack the night before that I used to make breakfast the next morning. Chop some herbs and scramble the eggs, and you can use my standard arepa recipe to fill with leftover pork and the eggs. This one’s a hangover cure.

French Herb Omelet with Avocado and Tomato

This round at the omelet worked much better, mostly because the stove worked. Served with avocado and tomato on a fresh roll.

Spicy Tunisian Carrot Frittata

I only had carrots and eggs one morning, and no bread, for breakfast. I found this recipe and made a version of it (a version, because I didn’t finish reading it), the main difference being that I sprinkled it with dukkah for a crunchy topping, and finished it with some parmesan cheese. Good way to use up all those carrots in the refrigerator drawer.

Zucchini Fritters with Sunny Side Up Egg

Ingredients

1 zucchini, grated and water pressed out (press the crap out of it!)
Zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup wheat flour
Salt and pepper
Olive oil for frying

Mix the ingredients; the mixture should be fairly dry but stay together. Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden.

Serve with a sunny side up egg, or fresh tomato and a poached egg, or anything else you want for breakfast.

Herb Omelet with Avocado

I saw a link to this video on how to make a French herb omelet on Eating Things with Noah, and after watching it a few times thought I’d give it a try. I made some no-rise bread, I chopped herbs, oiled the pan (I don’t have a small non-stick, so I attempted to “season” the All-Clad), and turned on the stove. It turned off. I turned on the stove again. Off. The electricity was flowing, but the heat wasn’t coming on. Bugger.

Into the oven goes my 2 herb omelets, which I baked for about 7 minutes, stirring a bit 3 minutes in. With a slice of bread and some avocado, it was still nice, just a bit disappointing that my precious stove didn’t work.

After 3 days of testing it out to see if it was a fluke, the repairman came at 8am… only to have the heat come straight on. Of course.

Green Frittata

Use this recipe, and replace the veggies with whatever you have around. I threw in all my leftovers that were almost off and it was delicious.

Herbed Scrambled Eggs with Chorizo, Tomato, Cheese, and Cilantro Pesto

I made some quick rolls out of the frozen pizza dough, and the rest came together while they were baking.

Ingredients (pesto):

1 garlic clove
1 bunch of cilantro
Half bunch of parsley
1/4 cup or so of olive oil
Salt and pepper

Blend and season accordingly.

Ingredients (eggs):

2 large eggs
1 tbsp of the pesto
Salt, pepper and olive oil

Whisk the eggs and pesto, and in a hot pan, whisk and shake the pan so it doesn’t stick and the eggs form nice folds. Once it’s forming pieces let it sit, and flip over in the number of pieces you’ll need for sandwiches (I made 4 small ones, but you could make 2 large).

Brown the chorizo, assemble with sliced cheese and tomato and a bit of pesto on the roll.

Pear, Chorizo and Quinoa Breakfast Skillet Bake

This is one for perhaps the more adventurous eaters; the salty and sweet combination works really well, and without the eggs it may even make a great dinner.

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked quinoa, still a bit wet
1 chorizo, sliced
1 pear, sliced in matchsticks
1/4 cup grapes, cut in half
2 eggs
2 tbsp butter
Salt and chili flakes

Cook the grapes and pear in butter for 5-6 minutes before adding in the chorizo and cooking for 3-4 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and chili, add the quinoa and mix well. Make 2 holes for the eggs and crack them in. Bake at 200C / 375F for 5-7 minutes, depending on how done you want the eggs.

Butter Bean, Chorizo and Sage Caramelized Onion Frittata

This is a good one for breakfast or dinner, it’s pretty hearty with the beans and would keep well as leftovers.

Ingredients:

1 chorizo, diced
1 onion, sliced very thin
2 tbsp fresh chopped sage
1 tsp sugar
1 can of butter beans, drained
4 eggs
3/4 cup of milk
1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, parmesan, or anything you’ve got)
Olive oil, salt and pepper

In an oven-proof skillet, on low heat, cook the onions in a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper for about 7 minutes, until translucent and soft. Add the sage and sugar and cook another 5 minutes, until brown. Add the chorizo and cook for a couple minutes, then the beans. Season again and mix well. Whisk together the eggs and milk, and add to the pan, combining with the mixture. Top with cheese, salt, and pepper, and bake for 15 minutes at 200C / 375F until the cheese is golden and center doesn’t wobble when shaken.