Muscovada Glazed Ham, with Roasted Chips

 I steamed the thick ham cuts, as bought from the local Co-op (though I didn't need to - about ten minutes). The chips were roasted in the oven for about half an hour, in a drizzle of olive oil and a dusting of paprika. The egg was cooked in a skillet. 

Mustard ham, Egg and chips

 Sainsbury's used to do a decent ham, egg and chips, but they seem to be outsourcing their restaurant facilities. This is not a difficult meal to make for yourself, even if you haven't got a deep fat fryer. I chipped some potatoes and soused them in a little vinegar, salt, and some rapeseed oil for half an hour while the oven was heating up. Spread across a roasting tray and cooked for about forty minutes at 180 deg C. (watch progress by eye!). The egg was cooked in a skillet on the hob. 

Diced Pepperoni Omelette

 A not terribly complicated omelette made with beaten egg (of course), tomato, mushroom, diced yellow pepper, spring onion, and diced pepperoni sausage. Fabulous dish. The beaten egg mixture was added after seven minutes. Cooked in a skillet at a medium heat for ten minutes, and then under glass for another seven minutes or so (judge by eye). 

Poached Egg with fried Wheat-free bread

 Egg poached in water inside a silicon container. Ten minutes, half under glass. The bread was drizzled in olive oil and browned in a skillet. Delicious. 

Smoked Ham Offcuts with Egg and Potatoes

Bargain smoked Ham offcuts from Aldi, served cold, with fried egg and boiled semi-skinned potatoes. The egg was cooked in a little rape seed oil. Dressed in freshly ground black pepper. 

 

Cheese Omelette

 A simple cheese omelette, which I haven't made for some time. Two beaten eggs and a little water and salt, cooked in the oven in a 100% metal and ceramic skillet until nearly done, then I added the chopped cheddar cheese and watched until the omelette was ready. Slipped out onto the plate. Dressed in American mustard (any other kind will do).

Ham salad with Red Pepper

 Rolled breaded ham dressed in American mustard. Served with a diced pointed red pepper, diced baby plum tomato, and a poached egg. The red pepper was dressed in a little dried coriander. Ten minutes, start to finish. 

Chorizo and Black Olive Omelette

 Excellent breakfast omelette made with diced mushrooms and chorizo sausage, plus halved stoned black olives. 

The chorizo was cooking first in a skillet, and most of the oil in the cooking came from the sausage. Cooked for at least twenty minutes at a middling heat. Then I added the mushroom and the halved olives. The omelette mixture (beaten egg with a little water) was added after another fifteen minutes and cooked until the surface of the omelette became firm. 

Slid out of the skillet onto the plate. Delicious!

Ham and Mushroom Omelette

A basic pan-fried omelette, with mushrooms, green pepper, diced green beans, and cured ham (any variety of ham will do in fact). First the ham was cooked slowly in a little olive oil along with the mushrooms and the diced pepper and beans.

The egg (plus a little water) was added, and the omelette was cooked slowly under glass (along with a little tarragon) until it was ready.
 

Scrambled Egg with Chorizo de Leon

 A simple breakfast dish made with caramelised onion (cooked first in olive oil), diced courgette (half), baby plum tomatoes, and diced chorizo sausage. Chorizo de Leon is a variety from north western Spain which uses less in the way of preservatives (and takes longer to make). Allow the chorizo to cook for fifteen minutes. 

The egg was beaten in a bowl with a little water before being added to the skillet. Two minutes and it is ready. Delicious!

Black Pudding and Crispy Bacon Breakfast

Mostly I cook with olive oil. The major exception is fried eggs, which taste better if cooked with sunflower oil.

The black pudding was cooked at a medium heat in a small pan, seven minutes each side. The bacon was cooked in another pot, along with the tomatoes, until it was crispy. Watch by eye. After the bacon was ready and decanted to the serving plate, the egg was added along with some sunflower oil for a few minutes until it showed the usual signs of being ready.

Serve with a dash of black pepper and some American mustard (French's in this case). German mustard will do just as well.  

Polish Garlic Sausage Breakfast

Slices of Polish garlic sausage slow cooked in a skillet, along with diced white onion. No extra oil necessary. 

Served with a fried egg, and some American mustard. A pinch of salt was added to the yolk of the egg. 

 

Ham, Egg & Chips

Sometimes only comfort food will do for lunch. Three slices of outdoor-reared breaded ham, with grilled chips, and two fried eggs. 

The chipped potatoes were first steamed for ten minutes (equivalent to parboiling), and then grilled (dressed in some sunflower oil) until browned (turned once). Served with some American (or German) mustard. Delicious!

 

Leek Burgers, with Piccolo Tomatoes and Mayonnaise

I made half a dozen of these leek burgers from scratch, with a slightly different process from before. I added two dessert spoonfuls of spelt flour to a large glass bowl, and then added the 500g of minced beef. I had some diced leek in a pan of boiling water on the stove, with the intention of cooking the leek until soft. 

I mixed the ground beef the drizzle of olive oil, and the spelt flour together thoroughly by hand. Do this for ten minutes, and you will get a good texture, much finer than when you cook mince on the stove. I added the egg and the softened leek (after being allowed to cool) And repeated the kneading process for ten minutes. 

I decanted the mixture into a pastry cutter sitting in a glass roasting tray, and repeated the process, and  ended up with six equal-sized beef patties. No need to shape by hand. 

Cooked at 180 deg C on the middle shelf of the oven for at least twenty-five minutes (check progress by eye always!). When  browned and cooked, remove from the oven, and allow to cool on the hob or on a trivet under cover. 

Served with a couple of dessert spoonfuls of mayonnaise, some halved piccolo tomatoes, all dusted with a large pinch of dried coriander leaf. 

 

Bacon, Egg and Hash Browns

Simple and delicious brunch, with pan fried hash browns, fried bacon, and fried eggs, served with black pepper, a pinch of salt, and American mustard. 

The hash browns were cooked in a small pan for twenty five minutes at a low to medium heat, in sunflower oil. Watch carefully, and turn occasionally. 

The bacon came from a pack of cooking bacon. Normally these consist of rashers which didn't quite make the aesthetic grade, but what I was working with was a solid block of bacon. I cut it up with a serrated knife. Fried slowly for half an hour, the last fifteen minutes of which were under glass. 

Eggs cooked for five minutes at a lowish heat in the bacon fat, and dosed with a pinch of salt. 

 

Banana Loaf

I had some bananas which I'd forgotten about, so I made this loaf with five of them. I used 335g of spelt flour, an egg, the mashed bananas, two pinches of salt, two tablespoonfuls of Allinson's yeast, and two tablespoonfuls of olive oil, and about 150 mls of whole milk. Beaten together with an electric mixer, until smooth. 

Allowed to rise overnight, and then decanted into a silicon bread tray. Cooked on the middle shelf of the oven for 45 minutes at 180 deg C. Then allowed to cool in a dry cupboard for half a day. Great texture and flavour. Great with marmalade!

(NB: I used two tablespoonfuls of Allinson's yeast, because it had been sitting on the shelf for some time. Fresh yeast will be fine with one tablespoonful). 

 

Stilton Cheese Omelette

 A simple two egg omelette made with some stilton cheese. Cooked really slowly in some sunflower oil, to allow the cheese to melt (about twenty minutes). Dressed in some ketchup and coriander leaf.. Delicious!

Chestnut Meatloaf with Brussels Sprouts

Made with outdoor bred pork sausage meat from Sainsbury's, one diced apple, one diced onion, three medium handfuls of porage oats, one beaten egg (actually optional, and it was skipped in this case), 100g of diced cooked chestnuts, and 40 g of salted butter, Mix together thoroughly by hand in a large glass bowl.

Herbs and spices used were a pinch of nutmeg and a generous pinch of rosemary.

 Cooked in the oven on the previous day at around 180 deg C, for forty minutes (watched carefully). Sliced when cold, and stored in the fridge.

Because the meatloaf contained pork sausage meat it was important to make sure it was thoroughly heated. Cooked under the grill, and the slices were turned once using a fish slice (about seven minutes each side - judged by eye). Can also be reheated in a flat lidded pan.

Served with brussels sprouts (6 to 9 minutes in boiling water under glass), and semi-skinned potatoes. Can also be served with roast parsnip chips.

Prosciutto and Mushroom Breakfast

Prosciutto is an Italian pork preserve, so is not normally found in a frying pan. But you can gently fry it, which is what I did here. Along with diced mushrooms, and an egg. Simple and delicious. Could be served with hash browns. 

 

Omelette with Brunswick Ham

New Year's eve breakfast. Brunswick Ham with a two egg omelette, seasoned with a little salt. Served with some tomato ketchup. The omelette was cooked slowly and turned, so it was pale on both sides.Cooked in some salted butter.