Good morning. Making breakfast together as a family on the weekend isn’t for everyone – there’s definitely more washing-up and clearing-up than when one adult is in sole charge – but it is a fun way to get everyone involved in a “project”. Whichever way you choose to do it, these three weekend breakfast dishes will tingle your tastebuds and wake you up.
Spicy baked beans on toast with apple and cucumber salsa (pictured above)
These baked beans are warm, comforting and ideal as a hearty brunch on toast or as a side dish to an epic barbecue spread. Just remember to soak the dried beans overnight. The smoky chipotle adds a robust flavour that makes this taste meaty despite it being vegan. The beans will keep for several days in the fridge: just reheat with a splash of water to loosen. The salsa is a great accompaniment, but a dollop of yoghurt or soured cream would work, too.
Soak Overnight
Prep 20 min
Cook 1 hr 15 min
Serves 4-6
200g dried haricot beans, soaked overnight in plenty of cold water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 jalapeño chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
7g dried chipotle chilli (about 2 small chillies)
40g tomato paste
2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
2 tbsp apple-cider vinegar
4-6 slices sourdough, toasted
Salt
For the salsa
1 green apple, cored, peeled and chopped into 1cm dice
1 Lebanese cucumber (or ⅓ regular cucumber), deseeded and chopped into 1cm dice
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
5g mint leaves, roughly torn
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp lime juice
Drain the beans, discarding the water. Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan on a medium flame, then fry the onion until soft and nicely browned – about seven minutes.
Add the garlic, jalapeño and spices, cook for a minute, then add the beans and a litre of water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and leave to simmer slowly for 50 minutes, until the beans are soft but still hold their shape.
Meanwhile, put the dried chilli in a small bowl, cover with about 150ml boiling water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Lift out the chilli – reserve the soaking liquid – then discard the stem and seeds. Put the chilli and two tablespoons of the soaking liquid in a spice grinder or small food processor, and blitz to a smooth puree.
Add the blitzed chipotle, tomato paste, sugar, vinegar and a teaspoon and a half of salt to the beans, turn up the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, until thickened and rich.
Just before serving, toast the sourdough and mix all the salsa ingredients in a bowl with an eighth of a teaspoon of salt. Pile the hot beans on the toast, and serve with the salsa on top or alongside.
Roast potato, chorizo and eggs
This is a perfect brunch or easy family dinner. Apart from quickly wilting the spinach, everything is cooked in the oven. I’ve used 200g chorizo, because many packets come in that size, but feel free to add more – even up to 300g. Serve with a simple green salad.
Prep 6 min
Cook 55 min
Serves 4+
1kg charlotte potatoes, quartered lengthways
60ml olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled, 2 crushed and 2 thinly sliced
1½ tbsp thyme leaves
Salt and black pepper
200g cooking chorizo, cut in half lengthways, and then into 5mm-thick slices
250g cherry tomatoes
250g baby spinach
10g tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
6 large eggs
Heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas 7. Put the potatoes in a high-sided, 20cm x 30cm roasting tray or oven dish. Add three tablespoons of oil, the crushed garlic, thyme, a teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper. Toss to coat, then roast for 20 minutes, until they start to brown. Stir in the chorizo and tomatoes, and roast for 20 minutes more.
Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan on a medium-high flame. Once hot, fry the sliced garlic for one to two minutes, until it starts to brown. Add the spinach and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, stir for two to three minutes until the spinach has completely wilted, then stir in the tarragon and take off the heat.
Once the potatoes, chorizo and tomatoes have finished cooking, dot the spinach mixture randomly around the tray. Break in the eggs and sprinkle them with a generous pinch of salt and plenty of pepper. Cover the tray with aluminium foil and bake for another eight minutes. Remove the foil, bake for a final four minutes, until the egg whites are cooked but the yolks are still runny, then serve at once.
Fried boiled eggs in chilli sauce
This was a bit of an experiment, but I’m rather pleased with the result; it looks glorious, too. Serve on fresh or grilled bread for a rich, spicy breakfast, or as part of a meze spread, in which case it will feed about eight alongside all the other dishes.
Prep 20 min
Cook 35 min
Serves 4-8
8 large eggs, at room temperature
100ml vegetable oil
1½ tbsp cornflour
Salt
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp caraway seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
¾ tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 ancho chilli, torn into 5-6 pieces, stalks discarded, deseeded and soaked in 250ml boiling water for 20 minutes
1½ tsp pul biber (Turkish chilli flakes); or half that amount of regular chilli flakes
1 spring onion, finely sliced on an angle
5g coriander leaves, roughly chopped
4 pickled green chillies, to serve
Bring a large saucepan half-filled with water to a boil, turn down the heat to medium-high, so the water is boiling gently, then lower in the eggs and cook for six minutes. Drain, leave the eggs under cold running water for a few minutes to stop them cooking any more, then peel.
Heat the oil in a large saute pan on a medium-high flame. Mix the cornflour in a small bowl with an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, then toss the peeled eggs in the mix. Once the oil is very hot, carefully lay the eggs in the pan and fry for three minutes, turning them a few times, until light golden brown all over (there’s a chance the eggs may break and spit a bit, so keep a safe distance from the pan and don’t worry if they look a bit misshapen). Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with kitchen towel.
Fry the sliced onions in the same pan for seven minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown, then add the caraway, cumin, tomato paste, garlic and a third of a teaspoon of salt, and cook for two minutes, stirring from time to time, until aromatic.
Stir in the ancho chilli and its soaking liquid and the pul biber, cook for about 90 seconds until the sauce thickens and turns a rich, deep red, then return the eggs to the pan to warm through for 30 seconds. Sprinkle over the spring onion and coriander, and serve hot with the pickled chillies.
