Breakfast 4 ways

Breakfast is one of those meals which has caused me some angst over the years. Yes, I know they say it’s the most important meal of the day. Yes, I know they say a good breakfast is the essential foundation for the rest of the day. Yes, I understand all that…. in theory. It’s just that the thought of a bowl of muesli brimming with milk in no way excites me into actually doing it.

 Thankfully all is not lost and I have found a few items that get my taste-buds happening, so squeeze the OJ, brew the coffee and let’s indulge...

 Breakfast Andalusia style

This so simple and speaks to me on many levels and I could have it every morning

 Cut a good chunk of bread and toast it - baguette, sourdough, ciabatta, whatever you like. (I use spelt Turkish bread because I don’t eat wheat)

Grab a ripe tomato, cut it in half and squeeze the flesh and juice all over your toast. Drizzle with a fruity extra virgin olive oil and just eat!

You can rub your toast with a garlic clove if you feel like it or, and this is purely delicious, you can take a finely sliced strip of Jamon Serrano and lay it across the top. This is for me, breakfast at its best. Sourcing a good quality jamon can be tricky, depending on where you live so go to you closest charcuterie & ask them to get some in for you. It will cost, but believe me when I say it is so worth it.

The Smoked Salmon way

I have this often as all the ingredients are readily available and of course it tastes great. Sometimes it doesn’t even have to be breakfast for me to indulge. Lunch anyone?

Again cut and toast a good chunk of bread. Smear it all over with a lovely creamy and rich goats cheese, then dot it with baby capers and drizzle just a little olive oil over it. If you like onion, finely slice an eschallot and place this on, then lay a silky piece of smoked salmon over the lot. Top with some fresh dill. Pure bliss.

 Sardines and Onion on toast

This delicious baby is trotted out at my Mum and Dad’s place all the time

Get a good quality tin of sardines in olive oil, throw the whole lot into a bowl with finely chop an eschallot or brown onion. You have to add as little or as much onion as you like as this is a matter of taste. Squeeze in half a lemon, grab a fork and really mash it up. Season with salt if you wish. Add more lemon if you like.

Now you can either go the toast route, or like me, take a thin rye cracker and pile the sardine mix on top. I love this. 

Dad’s Saturday Breakfast

Lastly in honour of a great cook and a wonderful man this next recipe is all about my Dad.

 I could go on about this really fancy mancy breakfast that has been passed down for years. But I won’t, because it’s not fancy mancy and it’s not an ancient recipe, but it is really good. It’s sort of like roast pork and apple sauce but really quick.

 2 or 3 rashes of bacon each depending on how much you love bacon, thin slices of granny smith apple – do not use a red apple because the apple needs to be really firm and tart to make this brekky a success a brown onion cut in half and thinly sliced lengthways Crusty bread Butter

 Melt a decent knob of butter with a dash of olive oil in a pan and fry the apple slices. You want to brown and glaze the apples to release the flavour. Add the onion and fry until soft, not burnt

In a separate pan fry the bacon. I love the rind and I love it really crispy so I cut it off the rasher and throw it in so it gets all crunchy and brown.

Toast the bread and spread lashes of butter on top, stack the onion, apple and bacon onto plates and tuck in. Decadent, fattening and fabulous!