Crack the eggs into a jug/bowl, season with salt and pepper and beat until the yolks are broken up. In a large oven proof dish/pan, pour a small amount of olive oil, just enough to coat the base and heat over a medium heat. Once hot enough, cut each sausage into six pieces and fry until browned through. Whilst the sausages are cooking pre heat the oven to 180 degrees.
Once the sausages are browned, pour in the egg mix, top with the cheese, peppers, tomatoes, jalapeño peppers and a good few glugs of Kankun habanero sauce and then pop into the oven for 25-30 minutes until the egg mix has set.
I make this every week for my husband Scott and this is his breakfast each day, he swears it keeps him full until lunch and it is virtually carb free! The great thing with this recipe is that you can put pretty much anything into it, make it your own! As you will know by now, we love the spice, hence the jalapeño and habanero, but hey, if you are not a fan, leave it out, stick in something else that you love, some fresh herbs, mushrooms, tofu go wild and use your imagination! This recipe is also great for brunch or even dinner alongside a nice seasonal salad.
There's a Basque restaurant in town and boy do they do a mean steak!
We were recently invited along to the press and food bloggers launch of Sagardi, a brand new Basque restaurant which has opened in Shoreditch. A short walk from Old Street tube station and we were soon outside Sagardi where we were greeted by a large glass fronted exterior, it looked quite stylish and was the sort of place you would be drawn to when walking by.
Upon entering the restaurant you are immediately faced with the SARGARDI butcher, this is where the fine cuts of beef known as "Txuleton" are prepared, quite an impressive area!
There are two varieties of beef to choose from, Vaca (ex dairy cows) and Buey (Galician ox). The cuts of beef come from herds that are a minimum of six years old and the beef is matured for between 3 to 10 weeks.
As it turns out when we ate later, the Buey that we had was 19 years old! Now you may be thinking, 19 year old beef, hang on a minute, but seriously, this cut of meat was so tasty and definitely has to be tried before you dismiss it.
The steaks, which are coated in a thick crust of salt are cooked on a central grill that was specially designed by the owner, Inaki Vinaspre. Whilst too much salt is frowned upon, in this case I would make an exception, it really adds to the flavour of the beef (don't worry, by the time it is cooked, the steak isn't still coated in thick salt!).
There is a bar area with tall tables and a vast selection of Donosti-style pintxos (basically a piece of bread, topped with a delicious concoction of loveliness) on display, you help yourself to whatever takes your fancy and to be honest we could have just stayed put and stuffed our faces!
I really liked this area of the restaurant and could see myself popping in at lunchtime or after work for a plate of pintxos and a chilled glass of Basque Country cider or Basque Txakoli wine, both of which are traditionally poured from a height and only by trained professionals 😜
The restaurant itself is dominated by large chunky wooden tables and is certainly the type of place you would go to as a crowd, however I think I spied a few smaller tables perhaps for those more intimate meals. The rear of the restaurant housed a wine cellar which went from one side of the room to the other and was pretty impressive, I certainly don't think you would be spoilt for choice as to what to drink! Oh and did I mention the Basque fishing boat hanging upside down over the central area!
After stuffing and quaffing in the bar area we then sat for dinner, at this stage I was thinking that perhaps I should get some trousers with elastic in the waistband!
We were served a simple straightforward menu but one that was packed with flavour, I especially loved the heirloom tomato salad, the Green Ibarra chilli peppers and the grilled morcilla (that's black pudding to you). Everything is flown in daily from farms and coastal suppliers in San Sebastián and boy could you taste the freshness.
The star of the show was without a doubt the steak, this comes on a huge platter from which you all help yourself, again, this lends to the group type of vibe. Some people may look at the steak and be put off by the fat, don't be, the fat was OMG tasty! The meat is pretty rare, but at the end of the day when you have a fabulous piece of meat this is how it should be eaten. That said, the well done crispy end bits were equally as tasty. The steak, given that it was 19 years old was packed with flavour, was not tough in the slightest and was a complete joy to eat, again, that salt crust really enhanced the flavour. By the time we worked our way through this bad boy we had a serious case of the meat sweats!
The meal ended with cheese, truffles and Tolosa butter and almond cigarillos, all very nice however that went out the window when the gin trolley was rolled over to us, this was a nice touch, the only thing I would say is a Spanish gin would have been good rather than the usual Bombay Sapphire, but that's just a small point and hey, I soon knocked it back.
All in all I have to say I'm glad Inaki has brought SAGARDI to the UK. We ate some seriously tasty food and drank some lovely local cider and wines. A great looking restaurant, a good vibe to the place and if in the area I would definitely return for a second go at that amazing steak! (oh, they do fish as well!), this is certainly my style of dining.
Place the pork steaks into a container
and cover with the Kankun chipotle sauce, mix well to ensure all of
the steak is covered and then place into the fridge for at least 30
minutes.
Add a dash of vegetable/rapeseed oil to
a frying pan and put on a medium heat. Cook the steaks for a few
minutes each side, you will know when they are done when the steaks
change colour from pink to a white colour. Remove from the pan and
place onto a chopping board and allow to rest for a few minutes.
Whilst the steaks are resting, pop your pittas into the toaster and
once done cut a slit into each one to make a pocket.
Stuff each pitta with the rocket and
pea shoots and then top with cheese. Thinly slice the pork steak and
put this into each pitta along with a sprinkle of jalapeno pepper,
red onion and some of the quartered tomato and then a good few
dollops of Kankun habanero sauce.
I had the pork steaks in the fridge,
they were destined for another recipe, I'm so glad I changed my mind
and came up with this instead, it was so tasty and quick and easy to
make, an ideal mid week dinner for all the family.
Method:
Mix the batter ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth. Heat the oven to 240 degrees. In a thin baking tin put 1cm/just under ½ inch of rapeseed oil and place this on the middle shelf of the oven (place a tray underneath the tin in order to catch any oil spills) and heat the oil until it is smoking hot. Add the sausages to the tin (beware of spitting oil) and return to the oven until browned all over. Pour the batter mixture over the sausages (give the batter a last mix before doing so as the coriander and chilli will have settled in one place in the mixture) and return the tin to the oven and cook for at least 20 minutes, until the batter is crispy and the sausages cooked through.
Whilst the toad is cooking, put a tablespoon of the mole paste into a saucepan and add about 5 tbsp of water and stir over a low heat. You will need to add more water to this as you go as basically we are using the mole as a gravy to pour over the toad therefore we need a runny consistency.
Once the toad is cooked carefully place it onto a large platter and drizzle with the mole gravy and serve with sides of your choice. I used a cheats Mexican microwave rice (it saves time ok!) and made esquites, see (put in link) for the recipe.
I hope you enjoy this twist on a British classic. The mole gravy has a nice chocolatey flavour which goes really well with the coriander and chilli in the batter and combined with the jalapeno hit from the sausages I think it works really well, even if I do say so myself :-)
1 large ripe avocado, peeled, stone removed and cut into small chunks
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tomatoes, quartered, seeds removed and finely sliced into small chunks
Quarter of a cucumber, thinly sliced and cut into small pieces
3 rashers of streaky bacon
Bag of mixed lettuce leafs
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method:
This is a bit of a cheat recipe as the only thing I'm actually making is the salad dressing, however this was such a tasty salad, it would be rude not to share it with you all!
Place the bacon on a baking tray and grill for 5-10 minutes until crispy. Leave the bacon to one side to cool slightly and then chop into small bite size pieces.
Put the lemon juice, mustard and olive oil into a small bowl and whisk together until it thickens, season with salt and pepper to taste. This recipe is for two, naturally adjust the ingredients to accommodate the number of guests you are feeding.
Dress two plates with the salad leafs and sprinkle over the pepper, cucumber, avocado and tomato. Place the sliced chicken over the top of the salad and sprinkle over the bacon and drizzle with the salad dressing.
This is such a quick and easy recipe to throw together, who said cooking had to be complicated! I'm sure you will love it as much as we did, enjoy.
I recently made this to take to a friends BBQ, it seemed to go down well! This is such a quick, simple yet super tasty salad, just perfect for a group gathering. I made this for 8 people, naturally you can adjust the ingredients to fit the amount of guests you are planning on entertaining. I would say I do like a good strong blue cheese dressing hence using the quantity of cheese that I did, you can use less if you prefer a milder taste to your dressing.
2 x iceberg lettuce
8 rashers of smoked bacon
Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
Large handful of grated cheese
100g buttermilk
4-5 tbsp sour cream
Handful of chives finely diced
Glug of extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
250g crumbled blue cheese
Method:
Place the bacon on a baking tray and cook under the grill for around 10 minutes or so, once done set aside and leave to cool.
To make the dressing, place the buttermilk and sour cream into a bowl, along with the chives, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and the crumbled blue cheese, stir well and place into the fridge until ready to serve.
Slice the end off each lettuce, removing the stalk end, remove the outer leaves and then quarter each lettuce and place onto a large platter. Cut the bacon into small chunks and sprinkle over the lettuce along with the grated cheese. Scatter the halved cherry tomatoes around the platter and drizzle the dressing over the top of everything and enjoy!
Super Tuna Pasta Salad, Feta and Crispy Cayenne Crumbs
1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 lemons
250g dried pasta shells
350g broccoli
1 slice wholemeal bread
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cucumber
1/2 bunch of fresh chives or dill
4 tbsp natural yoghurt
2 X 120g tins of tuna in spring water
50g feta cheese
Method:
Place the chopped onion into a large bowl with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then squeeze over all the lemon juice and put aside.
Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions. Chop the broccoli florets off the stalk. Cut the woody end off the stalk, halve the stalk lengthways, then chick it in with the pasta to cook through. Chop the florets I to small bite-sized chunks, adding them to the water for the last minute only, just to take the rawness away.
Meanwhile, whiz the bread and cayenne into crumbs in a food processor, then toast in a dry non-stick frying pan on a medium heat until golden and crispy, tossing regularly. Peel the cucumber, halve lengthways and scrape out the watery core, then finely slice. Finely chop the herbs. Mix the yoghurt into the lemony onion, then add the cucumber and herbs. Drain the pasta and broccoli, finely chop the broccoli stalk, and add it all to the bowl of dressing. Drain and flake in the tuna, toss together well, then taste and season to perfection. Divide between 4 bowls and serve sprinkled with crumbled feta and the hot crispy crumbs.
Recipe courtesy of Jamie Oliver - Super Food, Family Classics
Despite the pasta, this is a light zingy salad that is crying out to be eaten al fresco, perfect for a summer evening with a nice chilled glass of white wine and of course a few friends to share it with.
Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, once cooked, drain and place in the bottom of the jar and leave to cool.
Whilst the noodles are cooling, mix together the stock powder and curry paste. When the noodles are cool spoon the paste over the top of them and then top with the cooked chicken, bean sprouts, shredded greens, spring onion and coriander.
Close the lid and store in the fridge. To serve, boil a kettle and then fill the jar until the contents are covered, seal the lid and leave for 2 minutes. Once ready, open the jar and give the contents a good mix and enjoy.
This is a great alternative for lunches to take to work. You can make several of these up at a time as they will keep for a few days in the fridge. There are so many possibilities to try, basically use your favourite paste and other cooked meat or cooked prawns - remember, it must be cooked!!! I used curry for this one as that's what I had in the fridge. You can try soy sauce, hot sauce, miso paste, umami paste, the list is endless, there are so many varieties that come in handy sachets that you can choose from. Mix it up and add your favourite veggies, I added a handful of chopped chilli to this as I do like a kick.
Be warned, this can get messy to eat so have a napkin to hand and watch the dribbles!
2 sticks celery, cut in half and slice lengthways, to serve
Method:
First make the topping. Pop the tomatoes into a small bowl along with the Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and olive oil and mix gently so all the tomatoes are lightly coated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the pack instructions, until al dente. Tip into a colander and leave to drain completely.
In a heavy bottomed pan, make the starter sauce, then reduce the heat to low.
Add all the cheese and stir until melted.
Add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce and mix thoroughly.
Divide the Mac n cheese into 4 serving bowls. Spoon the tomatoes evenly over each one along with a little of the dressing from the bowl. Stand a couple of celery pieces in the Mac and season with freshly ground pepper and a dash more Tabasco, to taste.
Recipe courtesy of Anna Mae's Mac N Cheese
For those who know me, I am a huge lover of Mac N Cheese, receiving a copy of Anna Mae's cook book for Christmas tipped me over the edge. I am in Mac N Cheese heaven, I seriously recommend this cook book if you are a fellow lover of the cheesy goodness! The sauce in the dressing really sets this off, every mouthful had a kick to it, pure bliss! Excuse me whilst I calm myself down!!!
Method:
Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the chorizo and after a few minutes once the oils have started to release and the onion and garlic and continue to fry for around 10 minutes until soft.
Add the tomato paste and herbs and for 1 minute, stirring.
Add the plum tomatoes and olives and cook for a further 15-20 minutes until the sauce has thickened, crush the tomatoes in the pan with a wooden spoon until broken up.
Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the orzo for around 8 minutes until nearly cooked. Rinse the orzo under warm water and drain well. Add the orzo to the tomato sauce, season lightly and stir through. Crumble over the feta and serve with extra herbs and lemon wedges.
This was a surprisingly light dish, I think next time I might pep it up a bit with some chillies, as you will know by now, I do like a bit of a kick to my dishes! This serves 4 generously, however it would be a great recipe to double up on when you have people round for a bbq as would go great with a variety of meats and also roasted vegetables.
