What’s for breakfast?
Different ways with bacon
Corn Fritters with Salsa and Bacon
Serves 4-6
2 small ripe avocados, peeled and stoned
4 spring onions, finely sliced
1 tomato, deseeded and finely diced
Juice of ½ lime
1-3 jalape?o chillies, chopped
175g frozen sweetcorn, defrosted, drained and dried
200g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
8 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander
2 eggs, beaten
285ml fresh cream
2 tbsp olive oil
8 back bacon rashers
l Dice the avocado and combine with the spring onions, tomato and lime juice, adding as much of the chilli as you fancy. Season and set aside.
l Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Stir in the corn, coriander, eggs and cream. Season well. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over a medium heat. Add a couple of spoonfuls of the batter per fritter and cook for 2 minutes each side, until golden. Cook in batches.
l Meanwhile, grill the bacon, until crisp. Roughly chop. Put 2-3 fritters onto a plate, top with bacon and a spoonful of the salsa. Serve immediately.
Egg and Bacon on Thyme Rosti
Serves 4
850g potatoes, unpeeled
1 bunch of spring onions, finely sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme, plus extra to garnish
25g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
8 unsmoked rindless back bacon rashers
4 eggs
l Put the potatoes into a pan of boiling water, return to the boil and simmer for 8 minutes, until just tender. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel and coarsely grate into a bowl. Stir in the onions and thyme. Season well.
l Heat the butter and oil in a 23cm frying pan and spoon in the potato mixture. Press down a little and cook over a gentle heat for 15 minutes. To cook the other side, remove the pan from the heat, place a large plate over the top and carefully invert, then slide the r?sti back into the pan. If you have any mishaps, don’t panic – simply push the r?sti back together. Cook for another 15 minutes until golden.
l Meanwhile, preheat the grill to medium and cook the bacon for 8-10 minutes, turning once, until crisp. Bring some water to a brisk simmer in a non-stick frying pan. Crack in the eggs and poach for about 3 minutes, until set.
l To serve, cut the r?sti into thick wedges, put a wedge on each plate and top with the l bacon and egg. Garnish with fresh thyme.
Bacon and Cheese Breakfast Muffins
Makes 6 jumbo muffins
4 smoked rindless back bacon rashers, chopped
100g chestnut mushrooms, chopped
175g plain flour, sifted
75g polenta – coarse cornmeal
1 tbsp baking powder
40g sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
3 tbsp parsley, chopped
40g Gruy?re, finely grated
175ml milk
1 medium egg
100g butter, melted
l Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Line a 6-hole jumbo muffin tin with 7cm squares of baking paper and set aside.
l Heat a non-stick frying pan, add the bacon and cook over a medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
l Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, until golden and the moisture has evaporated. Set aside with the bacon.
l Tip the flour, polenta, baking powder and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Stir in the bacon and mushrooms, tomatoes, parsley and cheese. Beat the milk, eggs and butter together in a separate bowl and pour over the dry ingredients and beat.
l Spoon into the prepared cases and bake for 25 minutes, until golden and risen. Allow to stand for 5 minutes and then serve with a little cold butter.
