Go to work on an egg, or come home to some for supper, writes DOMINI KEMP
EGGS, GLORIOUS EGGS. When asked what my favourite ingredient is, I'm forced to admit that the answer is an egg. It may be a dull, lifeless shell on the outside, but inside, it's full of nutrients and goodness. It's also the ultimate fast food, the bedrock of cakes, ice-creams and savoury tarts, and equally essential for rich emulsions.
Just think about it: steaks wouldn't taste the same without Béarnaise, nor would poached salmon be quite as good without a dollop of hollandaise. Eggs are the marriage counsellor of oil and water, which are two of the four basic food molecules.
It is scientific fact that eggs existed before chickens (although some preachers would have you believe otherwise) and that cooked eggs are one of the most nutritious foods we have.
Eggs are also one of the richest sources of cholesterol. Unfortunately, because of this fact, they have fallen out of favour with those watching their cholesterol levels. This is a common misconception.
You may be familiar with billboard campaigns rolled out across Ireland, saying that it's OK to eat an egg a day. The reason is this: unless you have obesity or heart disease issues to deal with, eating an egg a day does not seem to significantly increase blood cholesterol, which is affected much more by other saturated fats from fatty animal foods such as butter and red meat.
So enjoy your egg supper, but don't forget to eat your greens, too. Better yet, chuck them into the pot, which is what we've done here.
Kitchen sink frittata (Serves 4)
This will serve four as a supper main course, if served with some salad, but would probably feed six as part of a brunch.
You need a heavy-based saucepan with an oven-proof handle. Or you could probably do this by starting off the cooking in a regular frying pan and then transferring it to a cake tin.
If you'd like to make this a veggie frittata, ditch the bacon in favour of some mushrooms. But feel free to chuck most things into this: leeks, courgettes, broccoli or anything green, for that matter. You can substitute cheddar, brie or goats' cheese for the halloumi.
Tiny splash of olive oil
2 onions peeled and sliced
4-6 rashers, roughly chopped
2 handfuls of baby spinach, about 100g in total
4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
6 eggs, beaten
200ml milk
250g pack of halloumi or any other type of hard cheese, chopped into small chunks
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees/gas four.
Heat up the splash of olive oil and fry the onions and bacon (or mushrooms) over a high heat until they are just starting to colour. Add the spinach and tomatoes and stir until the spinach wilts.
Beat the eggs and milk together. Take the pan off the heat and add the eggs and milk, and scatter the cheese on top. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until set. Allow to cool for at least five minutes and then serve.
Fennel salad
Have everything ready to be sliced and mixed together, as the fennel and radish can start to look a little grim if they don't get mixed with some acid (which comes from the lemon juice). Once it's mixed, it'll look fine for a few hours, but like all salads, it's better made closer to when you want to eat it.
4 pieces of fennel, thinly sliced
2 yellow peppers, skinned and finely sliced
100g pack radishes, or a bunch of them, thinly sliced
½ head celery, chopped
Juice of 2 small lemons or 1 orange
4 tablespoons olive oil
Small bunch chives or spring onions, roughly chopped
Salt and black pepper
Chuck everything into a bowl, mix well and season. If you find the salad too sharp and lemony, remove some of the juices, add a small bit of honey (one teaspoon), mix well and pour back onto the salad.