Zucchini, Mint and Yoghurt Fritters

It’s been a long summer and a warm autumn in Melbourne and zucchinis are in abundance right now. This is a really lovely weekend breakfast that takes very little effort for maximum reward.

• 1 medium sized zucchini, grated or processed in food processor
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup plain yoghurt (please, use full fat)
• 1 egg
• About 1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint
• About 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons milk
• salt and pepper
• olive oil for shallow frying

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until combined.

Heat the olive oil in a frypan until hot, drop in large spoonfuls of the batter and spread a little. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side. You might need to lower the temperature a little so the oil doesn’t burn. Drain on paper towels and serve with your favourite breakfast accompaniments.

Makes 6-8 fritters, depending on the size you make them. This will be enough for 3-4 people. I freeze any leftover fritters for an after school snack.

Cavalo Nero Omelette with Feta and Dill

Cavalo nero is in season, it’s ludicrously good for you, and it’s versatile and delicious. What’s not to like? I picked up a bunch at the market yesterday and I woke up craving it this morning.

This is a breakfast that will make you feel good all day.

If you can’t get cavalo nero, use silverbeet instead.

Serves 1

• 2 eggs
• 3-4 cavalo nero leaves
• 1 small shallot (spring onion), finely sliced
• About a teaspoon of chopped fresh dill
• A chunk of feta – about a quarter of a cup
• 1/4 cup water

Step 1.

Cook the cavalo nero. Wash the leaves, place in a saucepan with about an inch of water in the bottom, put a lid on, and cook over a medium for about 10 minutes. The leaves will steam soft.

Step 2.

While the leaves are steaming, in a bowl, beat the eggs, dill, shallots, feta and water to combine. Season with pepper, you shouldn’t need salt as the feta will take care of that.

Step 3.

Remove the leaves from the pot and drain. Chop and add to the egg mixture.

Step 4.

Heat some oil in a frying pan with a lid. Pour the mixture in, turn heat down to low, place a lid on the top and let it cook for about 5-7 minutes, checking to make sure it’s not burning and that it’s cooking through. You can turn it if you like, but I don’t like to risk breaking it, so I put the pan under the grill for a few minutes at the end.

I like to serve this with something fresh and contrasting, like a tomato, basil and balsamic salad.

 

Baked Chai Rice Pudding

I felt pretty pleased with myself when I thought of making a chai flavoured rice pudding, then I googled it only to find someone else had already thought of it. There is nothing new under the sun. No matter. I still wanted to make it, and so I did this morning. After being up for a few hours with no breakfast on a cold Melbourne autumn morning, let me tell you this was utterly perfect. I double dare you to make this on an empty stomach and not devour at least half of it!

If you like, add some sultanas that have been softened in some warm apple juice. I prefer it without though.

• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 cup basmati rice
• 2 cups milk
• 200 ml weak black tea
• 4 pieces cinnamon bark
• 4 black peppercorns
• 12 cardamon pods
• 8 cloves
• 1 thumb size piece of fresh ginger
• Nutmeg
• A little butter, for greasing

Preheat the oven to 180C

In a pestle & mortar, crush the pepper, cardamon pods, cloves and cinnamon a little. Don’t ground to a powder, just smash them up a bit. Place in a saucepan with the milk, and grate the ginger in. Very gently heat for 10 minutes to infuse the milk. Do not allow it to boil, you want a very low heat.

While the milk’s infusing, make the cup of tea and set aside. Whisk the egg and sugar until combined. Add the rice to this mixture.  Grease an ovenproof dish with some butter.

Remove the milk from the heat, add the tea, and stir. Strain it into the egg/sugar/rice mixture so you don’t get all the chai flotsam and jetsam in your pudding.

Pour into your greased baking dish. Gently stir to ensure the rice mixture is evenly spread across the base of the dish. Scatter a few cardamon pods and cinnamon pieces from the strained chai, grate some nutmeg over the top, and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Serve warm.

OMFG Eggs

Eggs, fried in goose fat, flambéd in chilli vodka. Guaranteed to seal the deal with a hungover, newly minted beloved. First, you will impress them with your pyrotechnic skills, then you deliver the grease hit they are craving. If you don’t burn their eyebrows off first that is. Probably worth checking that they are not more of a french toast type too.

Flambéing is not for everyone, and I couldn’t take a photo while I was doing it as I needed both hands. Just google how to flambé, there are plenty of how-tos out there.  Take a great deal of care, and always use a lid with a pan: hold the lid in one hand and the handle of the pan in the other, just put the lid on and the fire will disappear.

I think the trouble is worth it: the chilli vodka leaves a subtle heat and flavour to the eggs that will have you wanting this again.

• 2 organic eggs
• 50 ml chilli vodka (infuse a bottle of plain vodka with 4-5 dried red chillis)
• 1 tablespoon goose fat

Heat the goose fat until quite hot, crack the eggs in, reduce the heat and cover. When they are cooked to your liking, pour over the chilli and flambé according to whatever instructions you are following.

Serve with tea and sourdough toast.

Baked Eggs, Mushrooms and Tomatoes with Salmon Gravlax

I very rarely go out for breakfast, even though I live in inner city Melbourne where there is an abundance of cafes.  There’s something about forking out $15 – $20 for an ordinary plate of eggs that gets me all curmudgeonly.

Here is a bad-cafe-breakfast saviour that is fantastically easy to make – there’s little to no chopping, everything goes in the oven so while its cooking itself you can be reading the paper instead of standing in a queue.

I served mine with salmon gravlax (from the little food mart at Ikea!) but you can use smoked salmon if you can’t find any gravlax.

Serves 2

• 2 organic, grain fed eggs
• 6-8 mushrooms (eg portobello, swiss browns, or a mix)
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 6-8 cherry tomatoes
• a few sprigs of thyme
• extra virgin olive oil
• smoked salmon or gravlax slices
• toast with avocado
• snipped chives

Preheat the oven to 200 c.

1. Make a bain marie for the eggs: grease two little ramekins or jelly moulds (I have just used little glass bowls) with some olive oil, and crack an egg into each. Place in a baking dish and pour boiling water into the dish until its halfway up the sides of the ramekins.  Place in the oven.

2. Toss the tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic and thyme in another baking dish, and drizzle over a generous lug of olive oil – mushrooms love soaking it up.  Toss around to coat.  Place in the oven next to the eggs.

3. Cook for 20-25 minutes.  Check the eggs toward the 20 minute mark with the back of a teaspoon, they go very quickly from uncooked to overcooked.  Snip the chives over the eggs when done, if you wish.

Serve with toast spread with avocado, the salmon, and some lemon wedges.

Raspberry and Ricotta “Head Wound” Pancakes

I know a lot of people who say they don’t acknowledge halloween because its an American holiday.  My view is that I listen to American recording artists, read American books, and watch American tv shows and films, so what’s the difference?  Having said that, I’ve been too busy this week to do anything special for Halloween, which is unlike me. So this morning when my son started probing me about Halloween activities, I quickly thought these up.

They were delicious, and if I were making them again, I would put a few more ricotta/raspberry blobs on the top to maximise the “wound” effect.

If you’re looking for halloween inspiration this weekend, here are some suggestions:

http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/halloween-recipes-and-appetizers

http://www.notquitenigella.com/2010/10/26/halloween-party-food/

This may well be the last time I post a pancake recipe for a while, as my son seems to have gone off pancakes altogether, and I prefer eggs for breakfast on the weekend.

Makes approx 9 pancakes

In one bowl mix:

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar (note I deliberately don’t use a lot of sugar as my son likes to drizzle lots of honey on the top, so add more if these aren’t sweet enough for you)

In another bowl mix until combined:

• 2 eggs
• half a cup of frozen raspberries
• half a cup of ricotta cheese
• 2/3 cup milk
• a little lemon zest (I love the combination of lemon and raspberries)

You will also need:

• butter
• extra ricotta and raspberries
• honey or maple syrup

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until you have a batter.  Heat butter in a non stick fry pan and pour the mixture in – roughly the size of a fried egg each should do it.

Blob some extra ricotta and raspberries on the top, and gently cook until golden.  Keep the heat to a medium or they will  burn.

Flip over, and cook for just a minute then serve drizzled with honey or maple syrup.

Super Healthy Toasted Muesli

A lot of people think toasted muesli is fattening, but this is because of the oil that is used in most commercial toasted muesli.  Mine has no added oil, and no sugar either.

This is a slightly adapted version of my Toasted Muesli, and its a fantastic healthy start to the day.  I’ve added some extra nutritious ingredients such as quinoa flakes and prunes just to give my system a kickstart.  By the way, if you think this muesli sounds too healthy to be enjoyable, think again. I eat this most weekdays, and I never feel like I am depriving myself of anything, it really is delicious.  I have mine with oat or rice milk, and a super healthy fruit like red papaya, blueberries, or kiwifruit.

I have found all of these ingredients at my supermarket, but you will also find them at health food stores.

• 2 cups puffed brown rice or kamut (if you can’t find either, use puffed corn, puffed regular rice, or any puffed cereal)
• 3 cups of organic whole oats
• 1 cup almonds, 1/3 cup linseeds and half cup sunflower seeds ground together in a food processor (or use 1.5 cups LSA mixture)
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 1 cup organic sultanas
• About 3/4 cup organic prunes, chopped
• 1 cup quinoa flakes
• 140 ml rice malt syrup

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Combine all ingredients except for the sultanas, prunes and rice malt syrup in a large bowl.  Melt the rice malt syrup in the microwave until runny, and pour over the mixture, stirring with a metal spoon.  The syrup will start to set, so work quickly to blend through. Don’t worry if its not perfectly coating the mixture, it will melt into it more as it cooks.

You will either need to bake this in two batches, or if your oven is big enough you can do it in two large baking dishes.  Tip the mixture into the baking dish/es, spread evenly and bake for 15 minutes, stirring everything around once.  Remove from the oven and mix everything around again, add the sultanas and prunes, and return and bake for another 15 minutes.  Keep a close eye to make sure the mixture isn’t burning, and give it another mix around during this second 15 minutes of cooking. Remove when it looks golden.

Tip the mixture into a large airtight container, allow to cool, then seal tightly.  It will keep fresh in an airtight container for several weeks.

Chocolate French Toast

This totally indulgent breakfast will never be a contender for the Heart Foundation tick, but in my house, if it’s made with love  it’s good for you.  That’s what I told my son this morning when I made this. His response: “delicious!”

I got this recipe idea from the current edition of Gourmet Traveller. Their recipe included praline, which is a lot of extra bother and time to make so I left it out, and put the nuts straight into the chocolate instead.

This will make enough for about 3 serves, ore more if making just for children.

• 1 loaf of brioche (use a good white loaf if you can’t get brioche)
• 2 eggs
• 60 ml milk
• 40 grams each milk and dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70% and Lindt milk chocolate)
• 1/2 cup of hazelnuts
• butter for frying
• icing sugar and strawberries for serving.

Heat oven to 180 c.  Place the hazelnuts on a piece of baking paper on a tray, and bake for 10 minutes.

While the hazelnuts are roasting, cut 6-8 slices of brioche and set aside.  Whisk the egg and milk together in a shallow bowl.

Remove the hazelnuts, and if they had skins on them, rub them off in a cloth.  Put the nuts in a pestle and mortar and pound until crumbly.

Put the chocolate in a ceramic or pyrex dish or jug, and microwave until melted, then stir to combine.  Tip the crushed hazelnuts into the chocolate, and stir until all mixed in.

Spread one side of each piece of bread, then press together into individual sandwiches.  Soak in the egg on each side for a minute to let the mixture soak in.

Heat butter in a frypan until foaming.  Shake off excess egg mixture from the sandwiches, and fry until golden on each side.

Dust with icing sugar, and serve with sliced strawberries.

Cheese And Herb Scones

This one’s by request… from my mate Sam. I took a batch of these to visit her when she had her baby, Tom, nearly 18 months ago, and apparently she’s not forgotten them. Well they are pretty tasty!  They are great for when you have visitors popping in for morning or afternoon tea. Use a light touch with scone mixture when stirring,  kneading and rolling out, or they might not rise as well.   I like to serve these warm,  sliced in half, spread with butter and accompanied by a pot of tea.

Scones will go stale very quickly, they will only last one more day after making at the most, so what you don’t use on day one be sure to give away. They also make a lovely late afternoon snack with a glass of wine or G&T!

400g plain flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

Salt & pepper

100 g cold butter, diced

2 eggs

200 ml milk

Squeeze of lemon juice

1 cup combined grated cheddar and parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon combined finely chopped fresh dill and chives (or you can just use one of either of these)

1 teaspoon paprika

Before you start:

- Preheat oven to 200 degrees

- Prepare a clean surface for rolling out the scones

- Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and season with salt & pepper.  Rub the butter in with your fingers until the mixture is sandy.  If you want to speed up this part, you can do it in the food processor.

Squeeze the lemon juice into the milk.  Whisk the eggs together.  Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, tip in the milk and the eggs and stir through.  Add the cheese, paprika and herbs and mix until all the ingredients are  combined.

Tip the dough onto the clean and floured surface.  Knead a few times, then using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough out until its no more than 5 cm thick.  Cut out rounds of dough with a cookie cutter and place on the tray.

Bake for about 15 minutes.

Perfect Poached Eggs

I have been on a mission to find the best method for poaching eggs after a discussion with my mate Sal, a fellow devotee of a really good poachy.  I’ve tried several methods suggested by “our top chefs”.  Shannon Bennett recommends making a whirlpool and slipping the eggs in.  The whirlpool method is very fashionable but Sal and I both agreed it led to far too much white drift. Sometimes using this method I’ve ended up with just a poached yolk on my toast!  Further research recommended slowing the whirlpool down a little, dropping the heat and slipping the eggs into the centre. I stuck with this for a while, but still there was too much drift, with too much messy white water and too little egg left on my plate. Experimenting a little, I came up with this method which turns out beautiful, snowy white poached eggs with oozing orange centres every time.  I get a bit emotional when I make them.

I am now confident enough about this method that I will be bold enough to guarantee you it will work, if you do exactly what I say.

The most important thing is to buy the freshest and best quality eggs you can find.  Look for organic, biodynamic or grain fed.

1. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil – a medium sized saucepan per two eggs.  Add a dash of white vinegar (about half a tablespoon).

2. Break the eggs into two separate little bowls or cups.

3. When the water is boiling, drop the temperature down so its not bubbling wildly.  Grab a wooden spoon with a long handle, but don’t stir the water yet.

4. Gently slip the first egg into the centre of the pot, and using the long handle of the wooden spoon, gently stir the water around the edge of the pot to create a swirl around the egg in the middle. You don’t want a furious whirlpool, just a gentle swirl.

5. Keep stirring slowly for about 10 seconds, until the whites are just starting to set.  Slip the second egg in and do the same thing. Don’t worry if it lands near or on the first egg, it will work out.  Keep gently stirring, the swirling water will stop the white from drifting.

6. After about half a minute, stop swirling and let the eggs cook by themselves for another 2-3 minutes, tops, with the water on a low simmer.

7. Put the toast on while the eggs are finishing.

8. Using a slotted spoon, lift the eggs out one by one, resting the spoon on some paper towel or a clean tea towel to absorb the excess water.  Place on your plate, or on your toast if you wish.

And there you have it: poached egg perfection every Saturday morning.  You’ll never need to pay $15 for a crappy cafe breakfast again.  Now that’s what the Abbotsford Kitchen is all about.