shakshuka

Shakshuka is a North African dish consisting of eggs baked in a tomato sauce with peppers, onions and spices, to be served with a big chunk of bread and an empty stomach.

Perfecto brunch time fare at home, to leave you feeling fully sated. It's extremely well deserved when one has been able to wake up leisurely, perhaps partake in a little light exercise, and is ready at the kitchen table with the weekend papers...This was my scenario, as was having nothing left in the fridge except for these ingredients. I had been playing supermarket sweep at my local market that weekend so I had what seemed like hundreds of tomatoes, mushrooms and courgettes etc, so I actually had made a ratatouille the night before with added aubergine, onion and plenty of spices such as cumin, chilli and coriander. A really great way to use up ingredients. Just pop in an ovenproof dish or individual pan, crack an egg over the top and bake in a low heat until the egg is just set.

Ottolenghi does a great Shakshuka recipe that you can wip up fresh...

heston's scotch eggs

If you have the time to put a little bit of effort in, then these are extremely worthwhile and actually effortless. They make great picnic food and are especially fun to eat as a picnic in front of the television to watch the Royal Wedding. In one room, 3 of us eagerly watching and waiting, eyes peeled on the television. In another, food preparation well underway. It's the best thing Waitrose have ever done employing Heston and Delia. I usually get annoyed by Blumenthal's science'esque approach but his Waitrose recipe cards are brilliant. Egg and sausage meat, a match made in heaven and let's face it, we all like a bit of rough. There's enough fancy on the tv for one day.  

Thank you Imi for creating. Full description and details can be found on image at bottom of this post or on the Waitrose website.

Get those eggs boiled how you want them. Best a little bit runny, but we had them just done. Are you ready to get your hands all up in some sausage meat? If not, then this might not be the recipe for you. Either get stuck in or rally up some helpers. You are going to have to get those fingers sticky mixing all the ingredients together and forming perfect little patties. Once the eggs are cool and the patties have been chilled, you can begin to wrap those slippery little ovals into the meat, until they are all tucked in and sealed. Then it's a case of forming a little assembly line. Seasoned flour. Roll. Beaten egg. Roll. Breadcrumbs. Roll.

a day in food

Have you ever done a food diary? Well I can probably guess that you might have missed half the things you ate that day. We like to forget the little things. 'They don't matter...do they?' Well they do and they all add up. This isn't for the purpose of a food diary, but I thought it would be a rather good idea wouldn't it? To photograph everything you eat in the day? Then you really can't get away with it...
Breakfast

Scrambled egg on toast with green pesto

Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. My very good flat mate told me of this tip. A dollop of green pesto. Added at the end of cooking really livens it up. I use 2 eggs and I always cook in a little bit of butter.