Breakfast Options

English: Beans on toast
English: Beans on toast (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Yes, I’ve been lax. I’ve been busy working on things. What? Oh, editing The Play ( still nameless, after all these days ). As well as The Play ( still nameless ), I also made major headway in anchoring The Memoirs, ( not nameless at all. On the contrary has rather too many names. A larger discussion of those names is probably out of scope of this article.) Why, you ask?

Well, look at the header. It says “Breakfast”. Quite clearly. So naturally the thing that comes to mind is cricket. The game, not the insect. Though, I suppose, there are breakfasts that can be made from crickets, the insects, not the game. I woke up today with the news that there is a World Cup of Cricket on somewhere in India and the hosts India were meeting Pakistan. So naturally, when the rains came crashing down and delayed the start, it gave me the chance to focus on my breakfast.

My breakfast this morning was unusual. Tea, milky and sweet with a soft untoasted slice of white bread and butter. Followed 20 minutes later by the usual breakfast of a large cup of coffee and 2 pieces of rye toast made from Polish rye with sunflower seeds. In another departure from the norm, neither slice of toast was covered in marmalade. How weird and interesting is that?

It’s not? Well, anyway, here I am at 10:45pm with the day almost done. I’ve had my dinner. Bhel puri, papri chaat, a slice of pizza, some Sprite to wash it down, my cetirizine pill followed by the steroids and antibiotics I’m on right now. Oh, in between I had a business meeting where I had a small coffee, dark roast, black, and small slice of pie. I came home late for lunch and had rajmah chawal ( red kidney beans curry with rice, if non-Indian) with spicy mango pickle at breakneck speed because I was so hungry. I washed that down with 1.5 kiwi fruit.

Now you’re thinking, is he a nut or nut case? Well, I haven’t had any nuts today. Talking of which, have you ever tried to incorporate nuts into your breakfast? Well, I haven’t. No one has. Nuts for breakfast? That’s just crazy! No, breakfast should be fun, nutty in a non-nutty way, by which I mean, there should be no nuts involved. No, no. Bread, beans, onions. Possibly bacon, ham, potatoes. Those are the basic building blocks of a breakfast. Sausages! So let’s get to some recipes. I shall put a couple up. For the Veggie people and then the non-Veggies as well.


Veggie – Beans on toast.

A very simple way to make a great breakfast.

Ingredients:

  • Bread. Cut thick slices. Any good white, sandwich loaf will do.
  • A can of baked beans in tomato sauce.
  • An onion.
  • Green chillies.
  • Salt and pepper.

Method:

  • Toast bread.
  • Chopp onions finely.
  • Chop the chillies finely too.
  • Open can of beans, pour into a saucepan, light stove, heat beans through.
  • Place toast in plate. Scoop warm beans over the toast, generously.
  • Top with onions, chillies, salt and pepper.
  • Best with coffee, preferably black, with one sugar.

 

Non-Veggie: Spiced Hashbrowns with Bacon 

Ingredients:

  • Potatoes (2 or 3)
  • Bacon strips ( about 3-4)
  • 1 onion
  • Salt and pepper
  • Green chillies ( optional )
  • Tabasco ( optional )
  • Fresh coriander ( optional )
  • Cast iron pan
  • Plate with paper to drain bacon.

Method:

  • Chop potatoes into little dice.
  • Slice onions into short slices.
  • In a cold cast iron pan, lay down bacon strips, turn on heat. Cook bacon, till almost crispy, remove and drain on paper on a plate. Set aside.
  • Don’t throw away that fat in the bottom of the pan!
  • In the same pan, chuck in the onions and potatoes.
  • If using the green chillies add those too.
  • Let it cook, stirring occasionally, about 3-5 minutes.
  • Add salt, pepper, tabasco to taste.
  • Rough chop cooked bacon, crumble over the mixture and let it cook until potatoes are done.
  • Chop up fresh coriander, sprinkle and turn off the heat. Mix.

Serve with toast and coffee.

I suppose both breakfast options above could be had with eggs made anyway you like. I don’t know. Eggs and I maintain diplomatic relations of a decidedly frosty nature these days, so while I can give you lovely eggy recipes. I won’t.

No. I remain adamant. I shall reclaim my curmudgeonly right to say no to eggs. For now. Maybe another day, if  you all write to me and clamour for my egg recipes, I will.

Until then, drink coffee. It’s good for you. I’m sure there’s a study somewhere that proves it.

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