Eggs

I have been 'chook sitting' and reaped the rewards, lots of lovely fresh eggs. Each day Henny has laid an egg.

My friend Helena has four chickens, one that lays and three in waiting they are not quite mature enough.

Free to roam during the day and securely shut into the hen house at night. So funny watching them establish their pecking order.

Really fresh eggs have a thick white and a golden yellow yolk sits up on the white.

With such fresh eggs on hand we had an egg dish every day.

Poached

Fried,

Scrambled,

Boiled,

And an omelette.

Eggs are so easy to cook, however, gentle heat is needed to prevent scrambled eggs and omelettes from becoming tough and rubbery.

This is How I Make Scrambled Eggs

Whisk the eggs eggs gently with a little milk. I use one tablespoon to two eggs.

Warm some cream seasoned with freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of salt. One tablespoon for every two eggs

Pour the eggs into the cream, reduce the heat and cook, stirring gently. If you like it add some chopped parsley.

Continue stirring, breaking up the clumps of egg

The eggs will thicken, do not overcook. It is best to remove the eggs from the heat before fully cooked as they will continue to cook.

Pile onto buttered toast

How to Make an Omelette


Get everything ready before you start to cook. Filling prepared, eggs whisked, plate ready.

Heat a little oil in a pan, this is my trusted and old pan that is used only for crepes and omelettes. Never washed, just wiped out with paper towel.

Pour in whisked eggs, reduce heat and continue cooking

The egg will start to coagulate, move the cooked egg from the edges into the middle and allow the uncooked egg to spread to the edges.

When the egg is nearly set add the filling over half the omelette

Use a spatula and gently roll the omelette over and and tip the cooked omelette out onto the plate.

Cheese Tart

I love baking but sometimes I need to have a bit of a break from the sweet treats. A quiche or cheese tart enables me to have the fun of baking and a nice lunch or dinner dish. The filling can be whatever combination of things you like but I nearly always make this three (or more) cheese version. It is a good way to use up the odds and ends of cheese that you have in the fridge. I make my pastry with cream cheese, however, any shortcrust will be satisfactory. If using commercial pastry use a block so that you can roll it out to the required thickness.

Here's How

Roll pastry out to 3 -4 mm thickness. I roll out onto cooking parchment. If you lightly dampen the bench the paper will stick and not slide about as you are rolling out the pastry. Roll from the centre of the pastry to the edges, trying to keep the pastry in a round shape.

Pick the paper up and turn it over as you place the pastry in the greased tin.

Peel paper from the pastry and adjust pastry to fit tin. Trim edges as required. Prick base with a fork. If possible freeze the shell.

Line the pastry shell with baking paper. Add one - two cups of loading*. Bake for twenty minutes until pastry is starting to colour. (Blind bake)

Remove from the oven and then carefully remove the baking paper and loading. Return tart shell to the oven for a further five minutes.

Add cheese, onions and thyme to the pastry case.

Whisk eggs, milk, cream and a pepper together. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese filling Bake at 160 deg C until filling is just set.

Another version, this one has a few rashers of bacon and some thinly sliced zucchine. The shallow tin needs less filling (3 eggs, 3/4cup of milk, 3/4 cup cream)

Cheese Tart

Filling 2 cups grated cheese* ½ bunch spring onions, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or generous pinch of dried 4 eggs 1 cup milk 1 cup cream *I use a mixture of strong tasty, blue and any soft ripened cheese such as brie

Pastry 250 g cream cheese 125 g butter 2 cups flour 1 -2 tablespoons chilled water Extra 2 cups dried peas/beans to act as pastry weights/loading. Save and reuse.

Method

To Make Pastry

Cut butter and cream cheese into small cubes and mix together.

Add flour and 1 tablespoon of water. Pulse until dough just comes together in to a ball. Add additional water if necessary.

Knead dough lightly, approximately 8 pushes until smooth ball forms. Do not over knead as this will make the dough tough.

Shape dough into a flat disk about the size of a small plate. Wrap in plastic film. Chill for at least an hour. I usually leave for several hours or overnight.

Roll out to 3 -4 mm thickness. I roll out onto cooking parchment. If you lightly dampen the bench the paper will stick and not slide about as you are rolling out the pastry. Roll from the centre of the pastry to the edges, trying to keep the pastry in a round shape.

Pick the paper up and turn it over as you place the pastry in the greased tin.

Peel paper from the pastry and adjust pastry to fit tin. Trim edges as required. Prick base with a fork. If possible freeze the shell.

Line the pastry shell with baking paper. Add one - two cups of loading*. Bake for twenty minutes until pastry is starting to colour. Remove from the oven and then carefully remove the baking paper and loading. 

Return tart shell to the oven for a further five minutes.

*Loading is a mixture of dried peas, beans, lentils chickpeas, rice etc. It can be used over and over again. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container. Do not use for anything else or try and cook it.

To Make the Tart

Add cheese, onions and thyme to the pastry case.

Whisk eggs, milk, cream and a pepper together. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese filling Bake at 160 deg C until filling is just set.

Allow to cool slightly before cutting.

Scotch Eggs

I was asked to make sausage rolls for one of those bring a plate morning tea functions. So the sausage meat was purchased and  the request was changed to a platter of sandwiches. I could have made sausage rolls but decided to make some Scotch Eggs instead. I seem to recall that very first time that I made these was in Form 2 (Year 8) Home Economics. Whilst not something that I make often they have been made every now and then. Sometimes I get all fancy and use a quail egg and chicken mince, however, that defeats the purpose of what I consider to be the true purpose of them - budget busters. The idea behind these is to make a small amount of meat go further by enclosing hard boiled eggs in a coating of sausage meat. These are then crumbed and deep fried. They are a bit fiddly to make with all the steps involved, however, they are a very tasty if not particularly health conscious. They are also very nice served cold with some relish and salad.

I like to add chopped parsley, thyme, lots of black pepper and some garlic powder to the sausage meat.

The eggs are then deep fried until a light golden brown and then finished in the oven\.

The recipe makes four generous or hearty eggs, it could be stretched to six with a thinner meat layer.

Scotch Eggs

4 hard boiled eggs 500 g sausage meat 1 teaspoon garlic powder 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley and thyme Generous amount of fresh black pepper

Flour 1 egg 2 tablespoons milk  1 cup fresh white bread crumbs Oil for deep frying.

Method

Peel/ shell the hard boiled eggs.

Combine sausage meat, herbs, garlic powder and pepper. Mix well.

Divide meat mixture into four.

Take a portion of the meat and enclose an egg. Repeat with remaining eggs and meat.

Coat each egg with flour.

Make egg wash by whisking the egg and milk.

Dip the eggs into the egg wash and then roll in the breadcrumbs. If time permits return the egg to the fridge to allow the crumbs to firm around the eggs.

Heat oil and fry until a golden brown and sausage meat is cooked through. Alternatively fry until pale golden brown, place on a tray and cook at 160 deg C for a further 15 minutes or until sausage meat is cooked through.

Baked Ricotta

I make these often over Summer as they require minimal effort and can be cooked in the microwave. Great on those hot days when you want to cook as little as possible. They can be served hot or cold and are quite filling without being too heavy. They are also suitable for vegetarians.

Sometimes I line the ramekin with thinly sliced zucchini and serve it on some fresh tomato sauce and basil. A wide vegetable peeler makes it easy to get really thin slices. The meat lovers in the family quite enjoy this with a slice of prosciutto lining the ramekin.

When cold they are a good addition to an anti pasto platter











or in the lunchbox with some salad

Baked Ricotta

500g ricotta

3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

2 eggs

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme/oregano

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Generous pinch of dried chilli flakes or finely chopped fresh

Lots of freshly ground black pepper

Method

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Grease 4 individual ramekins.

Pack mixture into ramekins

Bake at 160 deg C until firm, approximately 20 minutes or alternatively microwave on high in  2 minute intervals until set

Variation

Thinly sliced zucchini to line dishes

Fresh tomato sauce

Prepare ricotta mixture as above.

Grease and line ramekins with long thin slices of zucchini

Pack mixture into ramekins, fold the the zucchini strips over the top to encase the ricotta.

Bake at 160 deg C until firm, approximately 20 minutes or alternatively microwave on high in  2 minute intervals until set.

This how easy they are to make

grease and line the ramekin with the zucchini

pack in the filling

fold the the zucchini strips over the top to encase the ricotta and bake

Eggs for Lunch

I have been known to remark that 'there are no egg dishes that I do not like', however, poached eggs will always be at the top of the list. There are so many ways to use them and they quick to make. Breakfast, brunch and a light dinner after a lunch out are the times that I most eat them. Not confident and you want to learn how to poach eggs, watch this

Poached eggs and sauteed mushrooms on toasted flat bread with dukkah,

 the egg yolks, soft and 'runny' just how I like them.










Fresh eggs from a friend, delivered the same day they were collected.




Too good not to eat up, so eggs again,

this time on a fritter made of leftover cooked rice and vegetables with some Indian pickle mixed with a little mayonnaise, asparagus and Dukkah

Y.M.C.A

Forget all those ideas normally associated with Y.M.C.A and embrace Yesterday's Muck Cooked Again. I forget who told me about YMCA, however, it fits in with my waste not attitude to food. Normally, I would plate up leftovers into a meal and simply reheat in the microwave the next day or if there was lots of a casserole or something freeze it for another time. Sometimes, I have a cup or two of veg and am looking for something to do with them other than 'bubble and sqeak' or puree them into a soup.

This is something that  I do to extend leftover vegetables into a light meal. The vegetables that I used for this were all leftover from a roast dinner - peas, beans, carrots, a couple of brussel sprouts and cauliflower with cheese sauce. The version pictured has spices added and is served with some Brinjal Pickle,Tomato Sauce and  a dollop of natural yoghurt. Add some salad for some additional flavour.  Sometimes I add a little bacon, ham or salami for some extra flavour and use oregano and some tomatoes instead of spices - more an Italian flavour.

Grease an ovenproof dish. Lay sliced bread across the bottom. If you want an extra crispy base toast the bread first.

Roughly chop up all the leftover vegetables and mix together.

Spread vegetable mixture over the bread.

Pour egg mixture over the the vegetables. I used 4 eggs, 1cup of milk and 1 cup of cream and a generous grind of black pepper.

The egg mixture can be flavoured, I added 2 teaspoons of garam masala, an Indian spice miture. Curry powder or other herbs and spices that you like can be used.

Bake at 170 deg C until firm and set and golden brown on top. This will make 4-6 serves depending on portion size.