Chow Down to Eurovision 2016 Good Morning Australia

With the incredible performance of Dami Im last night in Semi Final 2 it makes perfect sense to have an Australian focus on the Chow Down to Eurovision....Breakfast!

Apart from crazed screaming it is difficult to put into words the feeling of being in the Globen arena and witnessing the response to Dami's performance. People jumped to their feet applauding in the biggest reaction of any song for the night. 

I could not be prouder of Dami representing our country to show the amazing talent and diversity that makes us a great and potential Eurovision winning nation? (I know better not put the mockers on it)

So for everyone back in Australia getting up at 5am to cheer Dami on you are going to need a good hearty breakfast......which would also work in Stockholm after leaving Euroclub in time for breakfast! (yet to find a kebab van) 

I have kept the Eurovision flavour drawing from Spain with a simple hot breakfast you can just pop in the oven.
You can make the sauce ahead and just put it together at 4.30am so its ready for when the Eurovision theme tune rings out at 5am!

Spanish baked eggs

Ingredients

• 1 large brown onion diced
• 4 large roma tomatoes chopped
• 1 red capsicum de-seeded and chopped
• Olive oil

• 4-5 large potatoes cooked
• 1 large red onion
• 2 chorizo
• 100g pancetta
• 4 tomatoes
• 3 red capsicums
• 6 eggs
• Chilli optional

Method

• Sauce: Add a large splash of olive oil to a heavy based saucepan
• On a very low heat add diced onions and simmer for about five minutes
• Add the chopped tomatoes and capsicum and simmer on low for about 20-30 minutes
• Blend
• Roughly chop the cooked potatoes
• Slice the chorizo and pancetta 
• Roughly chop red onion, capsicums and tomatoes
• In a large pan add more olive oil
• Lightly fry chorizo, pancetta and red onion
• Add potato, tomato and capsicum 
• Add sauce and stir to combine
• Make indents with the back of  ladle and crack in the eggs
• Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes (15 if you like a runny egg)

You can add more eggs if required....just squeeze them in

Top with some sliced chilli to give you that extra wake up call

Some previous Chow Down to Eurovision breakfast dishes:

2014 Israel Apples in Pyjamas

2014 Germany Farmers Breakfast 

2013 Bulgaria Panagyurski Eggs

Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - Germany

Guten Abend this is Germany calling, with a breakfast post that will be at such lightening speed you can make it at 4.45am before watching Eurovision live. (In Australia that is)

You can imagine as the alarm goes off at 4.15am you have no time to waste so let's get straight onto our taste of Eurovision past.

Les Humphries singers were part of one of the greatest Eurovision years of all time 1976 and gave us a wonderful English grammar lesson with Sing, Sang, Song.

They placed 15th.

 

Ok so with almost 2 hours of songs and what seems like 8 hours of voting you are going to need your strength, so a German Farmer's breakfast or Bauernfruhstuck is perfect!
Plus you are finished in under 10 minutes, enough time to let you hit snooze just once.

 

 

German Farmer's Breakfast

Ingredients

• 4 boiled potatoes chopped (firm not mashable, do them the night before)
• 5 bacon rashers sliced
• 1 large red onion diced
• 2 kranskys chopped
• 6 eggs beaten
• Handful of grated cheese
• 1 green chilli (optional)

Method

• Add a splash of oil to a frypan on medium heat
• Fry the potato, bacon, onions and kransky for about 4-5 minutes
• Add eggs and stir through
• Add cheese and gentle stir like scrambled eggs till just cooked
• Season to taste
• Serve on rye toast with a sprinkle of chopped green chilli to perk you up!
• This feeds about 4 so there is enough for a top up at interval for AB and I



 

Elaiza brought a touch of the oom pah pah to the Eurovision final with Is it Right 

Meat Loving Quiche Man

I stumble across many wonderful (some weird) things on Twitter, the latest being the Sunday Bake Club.
 
While they began in January this year, I've only been following for about the last month.

The concept is fantastic -- on Sunday bake something to team with the week's theme. How simple could it get?
 
Each Sunday evening, my Twitter feed is filled with amazing looking baked goods and great conversation with some friendly mostly United Kingdom based bakers.
 
Check out their blog to see some of the past themes. We may need to ask if we can have a sister city program for Australia.
 
This week's theme is Bakes for the Boys, so being a boy I thought I was at least halfway there.

Thinking about this theme amongst debating the gender politics of a sausage roll I kept getting a repeated phrase in my head "feed the man meat".
 
I tried avoiding going down the stereotypical cave man road which ignores the metrosexual quiche men amongst us, but by combining the best of both worlds I created the Caveman's Quiche, Man! 
 

I couldn't resist prettying it up with a pancetta flower

 

Caveman's Quiche, Man!

 

Pastry

Ingredients

• 200g plain flour
• 100g unsalted butter
• 50ml water
• Pinch of sea salt

Method

• Finely cube the butter
• Add butter, flour, salt to the bowl of a food processor
• Process on high for about 20 seconds till it looks like breadcrumbs
• Add water and process for about 1 minute till it comes away from the sides and forms a ball
• Wrap in cling wrap and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes
• Grease 25.5cm x 6cm deep quiche/pie tin with removable base
• Flour work surface and roll pastry out to about 1/2cm thick
• Line the tin a bit higher than the sides to allow for shrinkage
• Blind bake for 10 at 180º C 
• Remove the beads/beans and bake a further 10 minutes
• Now it's ready for the filling
• Make the pancetta flowers while pastry is baking

Pancetta flower
6 slices of round hot pancetta
Method

• Place 4 slices pancetta flat on a greased tray
• With remaining 2 slices curl each tail around to look like a flower and place on top of the round end as per picture below
• Bake for 10 minutes at 180º C
• 1 flower is only there as a back up and can be a cook's treat

Filling

• 6 pork sausage
• 6 short cut rasher free range bacon
• 160g hot Calabrese salami
• 150g ham cubed
• 12 eggs
• 200ml sour cream
• 100g parmesan shredded plus 25g extra for topping
• 4 spring onions chopped
• 25g grated cheese

Method

• Pinch and twist the sausage in the skins then slide out to make little balls of sausage
• Roughly slice the bacon
• Roughly chop the salami into 1cm pieces
• Fry sausage balls on a medium heat for about 10 minutes
• Repeat with bacon and salami
• Cut the ham into 1 cm cubes (I asked for a 1cm thick slice at the deli)
• In a mixing bowl add the eggs, sour cream, parmesan and spring onions and combine
• I didn't add any salt as I thought there was already enough in the meat and cheese
• Fill the pastry case with the meats
• Fill with egg mixture
• Sprinkle with extra parmesan
• Bake at 160º C for about 1 hour (I checked every 20 minutes)
• Sprinkle on additional cheese and bake for an extra 5 minutes (I was thinking about a meat lovers pizza when I did this)
• Serve topped with pancetta flowers
• Note I treated today a bit like a Bake Off technical challenge where all the recipe was missing because I was making it up. Next time I would add about 2-3 tbsp. of flour to the meats so that it can soak up some of the juices without having to over bake the quiche  

"That's not how you make a French breakfast"

AB's favourite show of the moment is Four in a Bed, it is just Come Dine with Me for B&B's but I can see why they didn't go with the obvious title of Come Sleep with Me.

The show is full of the weird, the wonderful, the downright offensive or just plain odd and their B&B's (bed and breakfast)

AB and I will sit and critic the rooms mainly based on price "and for this room we charge £99....." to which we replay "you're dreamin' love, £99 for that, it's not even got a bathroom. Travelodge was £19 and you get your own bathroom and Tattoo does the best breakfast." 

Ahh Tattoo, so named for his resemblance to the fantasy island character, just a but taller worked the breakfast shift at the Travelodge. I wish I knew his real name as he did a brilliant job and I suspect held the place together. He offered friendly banter that wasn't intrusive until, if breakfast was quiet he would try and force feed you because after all if he had gone to the trouble to cook it you can bloody well eat it.

One of the last episodes screened here in Australia was 4 B&B's in France with an Englishman who hated France and his Wife a tizzy Kath Day Knight type who judged all the rooms on their tea making facilities.
She did turn out to have quite a good sense of humour and did a great impression of the Francophile B&B owner's lecture of traditional French breakfasts.

Needless to say the phrase "that's not how you make a French breakfast" is on high rotation of a morning.

photo from http://au.tv.yahoo.com/plus7/four-in-a-bed/

So combining the traditional B&B bacon and eggs with a little touch of France we have the "That's not how you make a French breakfast toast" or bacon eggy bread depending on your mood.

That's not how you make a French breakfast toast
Ingredients serves 2-3

• 6 eggs
• 4 rindless bacon rashers
• 3 spring onions
• 50g of grated Parmesan or Gruyere (see note)
• 1 Ciabatta roll/loaf

Method

• Blend all ingredients till smooth
• Slice ciabatta into 2-3cm thick slices
• Pour mix into a baking tray or similar dish
• Soak the bread in the mixture, coating both sides
• Heat a frypan on high with a splash of oil and a small knob of butter
• Reduce heat to medium and add the ciabatta 3-4 at a time
• Cook on each side for about 2 minutes till golden brown
• Serve with an extra sprinkle of cheese

Note: Both cheeses work well for different reasons, the Parmesan is sharper but the Gruyere bring a sweetness to the toast. I like both versions and the decision which way to go is usually made by what is in my fridge. Also with the bread, dry and stale works the best and not cut too thick or the middle wont cook before it burns. A baguette also works well.

 

 

The baguette, gruyere prototype.

Sausage and Egg Crumpin

We all have our little food dirty secrets that we don't want the foodie paparazzi to snap us eating, mine was the drive-thru breakfast but after such a public declaration of my self imposed ban I'm even too scared to drive past said establishment.

Yes with my ever increasing twitter following I am lame enough to believe the paparazzi would be interested in me. (Sad isn't it)
I now even wear 2 pairs of underpants just in case they try and snap me getting out of the car, although I should think wearing jeans should see me safe there.

I do miss a meat patty and egg muffin though in all it's peppery glory, it had the staying power to be with you all day. The Italians even do fast food better and I remember their breakfast meat patty flavoured with fennel. So in lieu of a 27 hour flight I have put my Crumpins to good use.

There is no science behind the ingredients in the patty it was just what was in the fridge.
Sausage patty
Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. fennel seeds
• 1 tsp. salt
• 200g pork mince
• 100g beef stir fry strips (optional but adds more body)
• 100g streaky bacon
• 4 spring onions chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp. tomato sauce
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Method

• Toast fennel seeds for 30 seconds in a hot fry pan
• Grind seeds and salt in a mortar and pestle
• Add all ingredients to a food processer and blend, not too smooth.
• Shape into 1-2cm thick patties, I cheat and use the cake tin I use for the Crumpin to help with sizing
• In a fry pan on medium seal one side of the patty then flip.
• Don't squeeze the patty as that pushes out the moisture.
• They should take about 7-8 minutes to cook and makes about 6
• For the egg I also used the cake tin as a mould but also added some left over eggs whites, and just fried as normal
• Assemble as pictured or whatever combination you like, bacon, no bacon, no egg, double patty......
• A slice of cheese or two is a must but I don't add sauce due mainly to memories of sauce dripping onto my tie before work, always carry a spare!

This one I call Eileen...

Unholy bit of crumpet.....

No it's not the latest Carry On movie or even a really sad Dad joke but a delicious crumpet muffin hybrid.
Just like Branjelina it needed a power couple name so......introducing the Crumpin, I just didn't feel right about Muffpet.

Perfect for a weekend breakfast in less time than it takes to make a good loaf. If you have to get up at 6am to let the chickens out or answer a call of the wild you can make the batter and then go back to bed while it gets busy proving.

I cook these over a low heat which is why the holes don't really appear and the middle has the fluffiness of a muffin rather than the firmness of a store bought crumpet.

They also are the right base to create a home style version of a certain drive thru restaurant chain's breakfast treat that I no longer partake in since my ban on the drive thru.
More on that in another post.

There are crumpet rings available but I use the side of a spring form 9.5cm cake tin, gotta love a dual purpose item to save cupboard space.

Crumpin
Ingredients

• 1 cup light milk
• 50 g butter
• 500g plain flour
• 10g instant yeast
• pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp. caster sugar
• 2 cups light milk

Method

• Heat 1 cup of milk and butter till the butter is melted, either stove top or in a microwave for 1-2 minutes
• In a mixing bowl add flour, yeast, salt (on opposite side to yeast) and caster sugar
• Add the 2 cups of milk and the milk and butter (adding the hot milk to cold milk will make it the right temperature without heating and waiting for all the milk to cool or killing the yeast)
• Mix with electric beaters till smooth
• Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for about 1 hour (have a snooze)
• In a frypan on low heat put 2-3 rings depending on how many you can fit.
• Spray with cooking spray being careful not to blow yourself up if using a gas cook top e.g. take the pan away from the flame
• Fill the rings with batter to about 1-2 cm, they will rise as they cook
• Cook for about 8-9 minutes on one side and then remove ring
• Carefully flip the Crumpin to cook the other side for about 5 minutes
• They will firm as they cook and the side of the ring will help the side cook
• You can add a knob of butter to the ring before the batter but I find this browns them too quickly
• Depending on how big you make them you can eat them whole or split/cut them in half
• They would be perfect to cook on a BBQ hotplate or electric griddle

 

 

 

Cheese and Chive variation

• Reduce the caster sugar to 1 tbsp.
• Add to the batter 80g grated parmesan and 8-10 chives finely chopped
• Serve with butter and more chives

Especially the beans.....

After the joy, fun and deliciousness that was Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 it is time to resume normal Don't Boil The Sauce broadcasting. Winter has hit Melbourne in all it's time for blankie snuggles glory and I bloody love it!
I also love a dish that can be breakfast, lunch or dinner so no matter what time you finally get out from under the covers it's an acceptable time to eat it.

 
This will make enough beans to feed both sides of the army and some left over. It needs to be started a day ahead to soak the beans, or use canned for a super quick version.

Slow cooker beans
Ingredients

• 2 cups borlotti beans dried
• 1 cup haricot beans dried
• 1 cup lima beans dried
• 1 cup cannellini beans dried
• 300g approx. pancetta
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 red onions rough diced
• 3 brown onions rough diced
• 4 celery stalks chopped finely
• 3 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 red capsicum rough diced
• 1 bottle passata  (approx. 600-700ml)
• 600g chopped tomato
• 120ml red wine
• 4 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp. mustard powder
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar 
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 large sprigs rosemary
• 1 small handful of thyme
• Pepper to taste

Method

• Into a large mixing bowl or boiler of water add the beans.
• Leave to soak for about 8-12 hours or overnight, they will double in size.
• Drain the beans
• Chopped the pancetta into small strips
• Fry in a hot pan with 2 tbsp. olive oil
• Add the onions, celery, garlic, capsicum, fry for about 3 minutes then add to slow cooker
• Into the slow cooker add beans and all remaining ingredients and stir well
• Cook on low for about 5-6 hours depending on your slow cooker and how mushy you like your beans
• Serve as a side with a chili/pepper steak, with eggs and home made crumpets or just on their own.
• You may need to add more salt depending on your taste, beans and pancetta, just remember you can add it but you can't take it away

• You could do this in an oven for about 2-3 hours on 160°C but I haven't tested this

• For the super quick version in a large pot add fry the pancetta, and vegetables as per recipe then add remaining ingredients and boil to reduce for 15-20 mins. Add drained canned beans and simmer for another 20 minutes (also not tested but this is how I would tackle it) 
• ok now back under the blankie!!

A thing of beauty

 

 

 

 

 

Crumpet recipe will be posted soon, I have some surprise tweaks to work on.

 
 

Most important meal of the day

As if there is an unimportant meal of the day or ever for that matter. I have a love hate relationship with porridge.  Done well it can be the most wonderful way to start the day, and healthy as well.  You may think that it is because of the layer of honey, golden syrup or brown sugar that is amassed on top it is such a comfort food.

Alas as I child I wasn’t allowed to have sugar on top as it would make me fat, well I dunno what happened, there must be some other explanation. I never add sugar to coffee or tea and would usually opt for a savoury plate rather than a sweet (unless it’s a crisp coconut biscuit), so there must be hidden sugar just waiting out there to get me.  

If I did some research it would probably freak me out to see all the hidden sugar there is and I’d end up just eating home grown mung beans, so best not research I say.

Done badly and porridge has us all thinking back to our school days and that bottle of Clag with the lid that didn’t make all the way back on.

My jaded past with porridge stems back to a hotel buffet breakfast, that had a great selection of delights but was poorly laid out. Who would put the chipolata sausages behind the porridge in the bain maire?? No really who would do that; you know where this is going.  

Needless to say 1 pair of over heated tongs and the next thing there were sausages performing Olympic synchronized diving straight into the porridge.

Dilemma do I stay and fish them out or do I just walk away very quickly, you know we would all just work away quickly.  So to the vegetarian that only had the porridge to look forward to that morning, I am truly sorry.

Rest assured that each time I stay in a hotel now there is a sweep of the porridge to sausage location proximity just to see if I am able to proceed unaided.

2016 update: During my stay in Stockholm for Eurovision there was a concerning moment when I realised the porridge was right next the sausages again! 

Thankfully there are no international sausage related incidents to report on...

Date and Almond Porridge.

·         1 cup rolled oats

·         1.5 cups milk (full or light or non dairy)

·         ½ cup pitted dates (dried or fresh)

·         ¼ cup almonds (slivered, flaked, whole, choice is yours)

·         ¼ tsp. cinnamon

Method

·         Add all ingredients to a large saucepan and simmer on medium heat till a soft porridge consistency, about 15 minutes

·         Add brown sugar/honey to taste (remember the childhood fat warning, or not and live a happy guilt free life)

To speed up the cooking time you can soak the oats in the milk/water, in the fridge overnight.

Some recipes say boil and then simmer, but I go for a slow simmer as porridge is very easy to catch on the pan. If that happens to make cleaning simpler, soak pan in a small layer of water and about half a cup of bi carb soda.

Just be wary of stray sausages in the porridge, if ever there is a life lesson to be learned it is to be wary of stray sausages!

Post updated with new photos July 2016