Hole In The Wall, With Maple Syrup & Cayenne

Just a little twist to traditional English breakfast!

You gotta try this, it's quick, cheap and really satisfying. . .

Recipe for one:

1 slice of bakery san Juan sourdough bread, middle removed
1 egg
pinch sea salt
pinch cayenne pepper
olive oil
butter
maple syrup

Add a little bit of olive oil and butter to a heavy skillet. Place over medium heat, when the butter is foaming, shake the pan to combine with the oil.

Take the bread and tear out the middle bit, about the size of an egg.  Place the bread in the pan and cook for a couple of minutes.  Now crack an egg right into the middle.  Season well with sea salt and cayenne pepper.  Cook until the egg looks like it's half way cooked, then turn the whole thing using a large steel spatula.  Cook for about 2 more minutes, or until the egg is cooked the way you like it.

Plate onto a warm plate, and add a little more salt and a splash of maple syrup.

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Warm Jerusalem Artichoke Salad With Bacon & Egg

Sometimes I find it really hard to move into the winter, after having just wonderful summer salads!

So here's a warm salad that will stop you having the blues!

Recipe for four:

6 jerusalem artichokes, peeled and sliced thick
6 rashers bacon, cut into 1" pieces
4 eggs, boiled for 7 minutes then chilled, peeled and quartered
1 avocado, cubed
3 large hearts of romaine lettuce, ends removed and cut on the diagonal
olive oil
salt and pepper
pinch chili flakes
sherry vinegar

First fry the artichokes in a little oil until browned.  Set them aside in a dish.  Using the same pan brown the bacon and set that aside.  Pour the fat from the pan into a large stainless steel bowl, (not more than about two tablespoons).

Place the bowl on the stove over medium low heat, add the vinegar and cook it for a bit so it blows off some of the acid.  Now add some salt, pepper, chili flakes, bacon, artichokes and lettuce.  Toss the bowl or stir you have to to combine the ingredients.  Barley warm the lettuce, it should be warm but not to wilted.

Plate onto slightly warm plates, and then add the egg and avocado...

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Egg And Bacon Breakfast Sandwich On Toasted Sourdough

Here's a quick breakfast idea to help keep the kids heads out of the cereal box!

This is quick and they can eat it the car.

All you do is fry some nitrate free bacon until crispy.  When done keep it warm in the oven, and then fry the eggs in the same pan with the bacon drippings.

Serve on some toasted Bakery San Juan's sourdough bread with some mayo and a touch of salt and pepper!

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Bubble And Squeak!

Bubble and squeak is a traditional English breakfast that's made from leftovers from a traditional English Sunday dinner, like onions, mashed potatoes, cabbage, brussel sprouts and so on.  It's all mixed together and fried in butter until brown, then served with an egg on top!  Sounds weird, but believe me it's fantastic!

As you must know by now, I'm into using leftovers, not just to save money but to respect my food, like the plants and animals that have died for me so I can exist!

Just take a heavy skillet and heat it up over medium heat, adjust the heat as necessary, you want to make sure everything is warmed though and not just browned, so low to medium heat is good.  Add some butter, when the butter is foaming, add the veggies, patting them down so they fill the pan and to remove any air pockets.  Make sure to season well with sea salt, pepper and add a little heat like Cayenne or chili flakes.

Cook for about 15-20 minutes then flip or turn.  Start cooking your eggs in a separate pan with some butter over low to medium heat.  The trick to cooking eggs, and everything else for that matter, is to make sure the pan is hot and not just warm.

I always want you to serve food onto warm plates,  it's OK if you don't but never serve eggs onto cold plates, they will be like congealed rubber!

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Breakfast Hole In The Wall... To celebrate my 101st post today!

I posted this way back when I first started this blog, but I thought I would do it again!  You parents, this meal is good, and good for you, and it only takes 5 minutes to make, and the kids will love it!

First get a pan nice and hot (no non-stick pans please), apply some olive oil and a tablespoon of butter.

Make a hole in a piece of bread using your fingers or scissors, (I really like Bakery San Juan's sour dough for this).  When the butter has melted add the bread, and then crack an egg in the hole.  Season with salt, pepper and cayenne (a bit of cayenne makes this dish so don't skip it).  After cooking it for 2 minutes over medium high heat, flip it and cook another two minutes or less if you want the egg runny!

It's as easy as that!  Out the door in 5 minutes with a good nutritious meal...

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Sunday Morning Breakfast Pizza!

The word YUM comes to mind!

For the pizza dough recipe, see my December 30th 2011 blog.  It's always a good idea to have a few 2 ounce portions of dough in the freezer, for those special times...

OK then, let's get the pizza stone in the oven and turn it on to 500* or higher!  Now roll the dough out on a floured counter, until it's very thin.

Cook up some bacon so it's nice and brown, but not quite done, then set aside.  When the oven's hot, take the stone out and lay the thin pizza dough on it.  Then brush some olive oil on the dough, now grate some cheese of your choice right onto the pizza, add some bacon, and tomato and crack a few eggs on top.  Bake for about 10 minutes or until done.  Sprinkle a little fresh ground nutmeg onto the eggs!

Bon Appetit!   Chef Hobbes

Awesome Warm Spinach Salad, with Bacon, Egg and Roasted Red Peppers

Quick, cheap and easy to prepare salad that will satisfy the taste buds...

Recipe for two:
5 slices of uncured bacon cut into 2" pieces
1 shallot thinly sliced
1 tub organic baby spinach
1 roasted red pepper cut into strips
4 eggs (see my egg recipe in an older post for the perfect egg)
1 three finger pinch of red chili flakes
1 three finger pinch of both salt and pepper
2 T sherry vinegar
2 T olive oil
1/4 cup dried cranberries
balsamic drizzle

You will need a large stainless steel bowl for this recipe.

First cook and peel the eggs, and cut in half and set aside.  See my egg recipe in an older post for the most perfect egg.  Now fry the bacon, when done remove bacon from the pan and keep warm in the oven.  In the same pan cook the shallots with the bacon fat.

Place a stainless steel bowl on a burner over low-medium heat.  Add the shallots to the bowl with the fat, add the bacon, chili flakes, salt and pepper, vinegar, olive oil, cranberries and toss and mix together.  When the vinegar and oil starts to sizzle add the spinach.  Now toss all the ingredients together, melting the spinach just a little, but don't over-do this step, you just want to warm and slightly melt the spinach.

Transfer to warm plates and garnish with eggs, red peppers and a balsamic drizzle.

Bon Appetit!

Breakfast Pasta Pillow

Making good use of leftover food is really important to me.  So I came up with this simple breakfast dish that makes good use of leftover pasta.  It may sound weird and boring, but take it from me it's great!

In a pan over low heat, add a little olive oil, when the oil is hot add a handful of cooked pasta.  Press the pasta down and out to the sides with the back of a wooden spoon, so it's laying flat in the pan.  The idea here is to cook it slow to make sure the pasta is warm but also has a little color and is slightly crunchy.

Add a pinch each of salt and pepper and a pinch of chili flakes.  When it's looking like that side is done flip it over and do the same thing.  This only takes a few minutes to cook.  Now cook an over easy egg.  Plate up the pasta and serve the egg on top of the pasta.  Now add a few drops of your favorite hot sauce...

Warning:  Bacteria grows really fast on cooked pasta, so make sure to cover it and keep it cold.  Don't keep it for more than a day or two!

Bon Appetit!

Sherried Mushrooms With Spinach and a Baked Egg...

What a fantastic Sunday morning breakfast!

Recipe for 1:
1 shallot or 1/4 red onion finely chopped
6 brown mushrooms sliced
handful spinach chopped
1/4 cup sherry
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 egg
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon parmesan cheese

Over medium high heat melt butter in a saute pan. When butter is hot add mushrooms and brown. Then add shallot or onion and soften.  Pour in the sherry and reduce until all of the liquid has gone.   Add cream and spinach. Reduce cream a bit and wilt the spinach.

Transfer mixture to a ramekin and crack open an egg, and put it on top. Now sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese, and bake in a hot oven set at 350* for 15-20 minutes. When the egg is cooked add a pinch of nutmeg and serve.

Bon Appetit!

Hole in the Wall...

Here's a quick, cheap and easy breakfast for you Moms and Dads that are on the go and trying to

feed your kids good food, instead of that processed crap...

Hole in the Wall...

First cut a large hole in a piece of bread (I use sourdough bread from Bakery San Juan), in heavy skillet over medium heat add your fat of choice butter, olive oil or coconut oil. When the oil is hot place the bread in the pan, then crack an egg in to the middle of the bread, season with salt, pepper and little pinch of cayenne (trust me, the cayenne brings it all together), cook for about a minute and then flip and cook for another minute. Serve on a plate, or cook it a little longer so the egg's not runny, then they can eat it from a bag in the car!! Fast, simple and cheap...

Bon Appetit!

The Perfect Egg

Hard boiled eggs Hobbes style.

Eggs are a healthy snack for kid's when they get home from school, and they are quick and easy to make.

Put eggs in a pot and cover with enough cold water to cover eggs by about an inch, add two teaspoons of sea salt. Bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer, and cook for 7 minutes.  This will give you yolks that are bright and a tiny bit soft.
Peel eggs under cold running water.