Eggs Alaska

Panfried potato cakes with local smoked salmon poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.

Delicious any time of the day.
Breakfast, brunch, lunch, starter and tea time.

I'm using frank henderman smoke salmon which is absolutely delicious For the potato cakes I'm using ballycotton potatoes. Local free range eggs and I bought all my ingredients in the English market cork.

Serves 4

Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time 30 minutes

Ingredients:

350g Ballycotton potatoes, peeled
2 spring onions, finely sliced
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 heaped teaspoon plain flour

Knob of butter

200g of smoke salmon

8 free range eggs

See my recipe for hollandaise on the blog.

Method:

Boil potatoes for 10-15minutes until cooked through but not mushy
Slice spring onions
Drain potatoes when cooked
Mash potatoes
Add spring onions
Flour
Salt and pepper

When cooled shape the potatoes in to cakes the size of scones

Heat a non-stick frying pan over a moderate heat and add the butter. Gently fry the potato cakes, 2 at a time, for 2 to 3 minutes each side until light brown and heated through. Keep warm.

Meanwhile poach the eggs
The freshest eggs are best for poaching.
Fill a wide deep-ish sauce pan with boiling water from the kettle.
Place sauce pan on the hob.
You will need the heat to be medium-high.
The water should be simmering by this I mean the bubbles should be under the water as opposed to a rolling boil.
Some people use vinegar for poaching I don't, if you want to by all means use your own method.
Crack the eggs in to the simmering water turn down heat a little and leave for 4 minutes.
Take out with a slotted spoon and place on a plate.

To plate up the dish serve two potato cakes person topped with the slice smoke salmon.
Finally add a poached egg on each one and pour some hollandaise sauce over the top
Garnish with a few scallion slices cut on the slant.

Cheats focaccia bread

I think anyone can make this bread evening you have no experience in baking. Im leaving the experts to use a yeast bread base if they wish. I prefer this version because I rarely have time to wait around for bread to prove and prove and prove !
From start to finish 45mins and you'll be eating this yummy bread

This bread is so quick and easy to make. It is a white soda bread base with olive oil & other added ingredients. You can really add as much or as little as you like. Peppers, onion, herbs etc
I made 2 and added red onion,thyme and baby potato to one and chorizo, red pepper and cherry tomato to the other.

This recipe makes one focaccia bread

Serves 6-8 people

Pre-heat the oven to 250oC
Grease a swiss roll tin about 23x32 cm
Or a square brownie tin with a good glug of olive oil (don't be shy with this use about 2 tablespoons.

Ingredients:
475grams of white flour

1 level teaspoon salt

1 sieved level teaspoon bread soda or bicarbonate of soda.

550-600 ml of buttermilk. (some times bread can take a little more liquid so if it seems a little dry add a bit more milk)

Method:

Sieve all the ingredients
If using herbs add half of them now
Make a well in the centre
Add the buttermilk
Using one hand mix the bread in one direction quickly.
If you over mix or take too long the bread will become stiff and resulting I. A hard tough bread to eat.
the dough should be soft but not wet and sticky.
When it's all together turn it out on to a floured surface tidy the dough up and quickly add it to the oiled tin.
Add 5 chopped cooked baby potatoes handful of fresh thyme and one red onion cut into wedges press into the top of the bread. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. I always use maldon sea salt but you can use any sea salt you can find.
Bake in the hot oven for 15-20 minutes
Cool on a wire rack and enjoy !

Lemon and Ginger Chicken with New Season baby Potatoes

This dish is so fresh and zingy very summery. The best part about this is nearly everything cooks together in the oven.
You can even prepare this the night before and have it ready in the fridge after work pop it in the oven. It's that easy.

Serves 4
Preparation 25 minutes including par boiling the baby potatoes
Pre heat oven to 200 degrees


Ingredients
400-500 grams of baby potatoes
4 chicken breasts sliced into large pieces
1 red pepper chopped roughly and deseeded
1 red onion sliced roughly
1 thump size of ginger grated or finely sliced into match sticks
1 large lemon sliced keep half for squeezing over the dish before cooking
2 handfuls of roughly chopped fresh
corainder ( keeping back a little to serve )
1 large teaspoon of tumeric
2 teaspoons of cumin
1 finally sliced deseeded chilli
Sea salt and fresh pepper
Splash of olive oil

Method:
Place the potatoes in a large pot
Boil the kettle and add the hot water to the pan.
Cook potatoes for 10 minutes or until they feel just a little tender when pricked with a knife.
Drain in a colander and place to the side.
Mean while the potatoes are cooking
Slice the peppers,chilli, red onion, ginger and lemon.
Place in a bowl with the chicken, turmeric, cumin, coriander and olive oil
Finally add the par cooked baby potatoes.
Toss everything together in the bowl and season.
Place in a oven proof dish and squeeze over a little more lemon juice and oil.
Put tray in oven and cook for 30 minutes.

If you are worried about cooking chicken correctly don't be if your very nervous just cut a bit of chicken and see is it cooked through.

Serve on a platter with chopped coriander and yogurt.

Granola and Spiced Apples Muffins

Delicious breakfast time snack

Makes 12 medium size muffins

Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking : 30 minutes

Pre heat oven 170oC


6 red apples peeled and diced
190 g sugar
150ml sunflower oil
4 eggs
300 plain flour
2 tsp baking power
Pinch salt
1 cup of shop bought or homemade granola. Keep a little for the top when baking.


Splash of vanilla
1 tablespoon mixed spice or cinnamon

Method:

Mix apples with sugar then add the eggs and oil
Stir well
Mix in the rest of the ingredients
Have the muffin tray ready with the Muffin cases.

Drop a blob of the muffin mixture into to each case. Even them out if necessary at the end. Sprinkle with some left over granola.

Cook for 30 mins or until a knife comes out clean when pushed into the middle of a muffin.

Enjoy !

Beetroot and Chickpea Fritters

So easy and cheap to make everyone has to try them.

I got my Beetroot and scallions in Aldi for 35 cent each!


Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 5-6 minutes

Ingredients:

250g cooked Beetroot the ones in the vacuum pack (not pickled)
I small tin of chickpeas drained
3 scallions sliced I used green and white part
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 tablespoon of mint chopped
1 tablespoon of coriander chopped
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 large free range egg
Sea salt and cracked pepper to season

Method:
Chop the chickpeas roughly or blitz them briefly in food processor add to a bowl
Coarsely grated the Beetroot on a box grater. ( use gloves as they may stain your hands even if they are cooked)
add these to the chickpeas
Mix with all the other ingredients
Heat a frying pan with a little oil
When hot enough get a tablespoon and spoon the mixture into the frying pan do about 3 at a time.
Fry on each side for 2 minutes on a medium heat.
Heat the oven on low and as you cook the fritters in batches keep them warm in the oven until you have them all cooked.

Serve with a yogurt dip. Such as Riata, I made one with lemon,garlic and cucumber

Hint: make baby size fritters for canapés or party food top with a little soft goats cheese and toasted hazelnuts.

Hollandaise Sauce fail-free

By this I mean its very easy and I can almost guarantee it won't split or curdle.

For people that aren't familiar with Hollandaise sauce its a buttery sauce made with egg yolks. Almost like a warm mayonnaise if that makes any sense. A sauce like this is know as emulsion, its mixture of two liquids that would ordinarily not mix together, like oil and vinegar.

This sauce one of the main ingredients in the famous eggs benedict but also goes very well over steamed broccoli or asparagus, salmon.
Béarnaise sauce is a derivative of Hollandaise in short it has some reduced vinegar, shallot and the herb tarragon this sauce is undeniably the best sauce to go with steak and chips. In fact I would have to say it would be my last supper. Anyway back to the recipe

Preparation and cooking 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

145g butter ( I love Bandon Co-op butter) melted and cooled slightly

2 egg yolks from large size free range eggs

1/2 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Using a food processor whizz up the egg yolks, mustard and lemon juice until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
slowly pour (I stress slowly) the melted butter through the feed in the processor lid while it's on
When all the butter is in the sauce pour in to a bowl.
Use how you please

Frittata for one.

When your cooking for one it's hard not to make too much and end up throwing away the left overs.
Frittatas are a great way of cooking for one and using up bits and bobs you having lying around your fridge. Frittata is basically a Italian omelette cooked on the hob to start then finished in the oven.
I always use free range eggs fresh eggs for this dish.

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Pre heat oven 180oC or grill hot

Ingredients:

2 mushrooms
1 scallion
1/2 tomato
1/2 clove garlic.
1/2 green chilli (optional)
4-5 basil leaves ripped up
2 large free range eggs
Handful of grated mature cheddar. ( ardsallagh goats cheese would be delicious)
Sea salt and black pepper to season.
Knob of butter

(left over boiled potatoes sliced or chopped peppers, courgettes, rashers, chorizo will be perfect. Just throw in anything you fancy)

Method:

Whisk eggs with salt and pepper and basil.
Heat oven proof frying pan on medium heat hob
Melt knob of butter and throw in the mushrooms, garlic, tomatoes, chilli and scallions just sauté until soft.
Add the whisked eggs and cheese to the pan with a wooden spoon stir the outside to the inside for a minute until you see the eggs are slightly cooked around the edges.
Place frittata in the oven for 5 minutes
Until brown and the cheese is nicely melted
Rip up a few basil leaves and sprinkle on top to serve.
Enjoy!