Fergus Henderson’s kippers
A brace of kippers makes the perfect start to the day. Take your kippers and top with large lumps of butter. Bake in the oven at 200C/gas mark 6 for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, have your toast to hand. Eat, washed down with a black velvet.
Alternatively, they are the perfect sustenance if you are going out dancing – but be warned, there is always the risk of kipper burps, so be careful as you perform your quarter turn.
Fergus Henderson is chef founder of St. John, London EC1; stjohngroup.uk.com
Nigel Slater’s toasted mushroom sandwich
Makes 1 large sandwich
mushrooms 100g, small
olive oil 2 tbsp
sourdough bread 2 thin slices
cheese 4 tbsp grated
Slice the mushrooms thinly, almost like paper. Warm the oil in a frying pan and add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes or so over a moderate heat till soft. Using a draining spoon, pile them on to one of the slices of bread. Scatter over the grated cheese. Place the second piece of bread on top and press down lightly.
Wipe the pan out lightly with kitchen roll – you need a thin film of oil to fry the sandwich – then place the sandwich in the pan, letting it cook for a few minutes till the bread is golden and the cheese is starting to melt. Turn the sandwich and cook the other side. Perfection is when the bread is lightly crisp, the mushrooms soft and the cheese oozing.
Simon Hopkinson‘s congee with bok choy, golden fried garlic, green chilli and soy
Asian savoury rice porridge would be a fairly accurate description, here. Also, it is one of the finest hangover foods I know, although deeply comforting at any time. For a truly authentic taste, try to find Chinese sesame oil, chilli oil and light soy sauce (a superior brand in each case).
Serves 2
jasmine rice 125g
stock 1-1.5 litres
fresh ginger 7 thick slices (unpeeled)
Chinese Shaohsing rice wine 3 tbsp
For the garnishes
bok choy or similar 3-4
Chinese greens steamed until tender, then sliced
garlic 4-5 large cloves, peeled, thinly sliced and gently fried in a little oil until pale golden and lightly crisp
spring onions 2-3, trimmed, thinly sliced
fresh ginger shredded, steeped in rice vinegar
green chillies (generally milder) 2 fresh, large, sliced
light soy sauce
toasted sesame oil and/or chilli oil
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, mix together the rice, 1 litre of stock and the ginger and bring up to a simmer. Cover and cook very gently indeed (a heat-diffuser mat is helpful), for at least 1 hour or maybe longer, stirring from time to time; the desired consistency should be that of porridge, and where the rice harmoniously marries with the stock as one; you may need more stock to get it just right. As ever, practice makes perfect.
Naturally, the rice will be overcooked almost to the point of submission. (You may prefer to cook it in a very low oven, covered, but it must be finished on the stove top.)
Once you are happy with its consistency, fish out the ginger and discard, then add the rice wine and stir in.
To finish the congee, ladle it into bowls, distribute the vegetable garnishes as you see fit, then trickle on a little of the soy and oils.
From The Vegetarian Option by Simon Hopkinson (Quadrille, £9.99). Click here to order a copy from Guardian Bookshop for £7.99
Anissa Helou’s ful medames
Ful medames is the classic Egyptian breakfast, enjoyed by poor and rich alike, usually on the street, although people also make it at home. More often than not, they take a pot to their local street ful medames vendor to have him fill it with ful so they can eat it in the comfort of their home.
I give here both the classic Egyptian version and a Syrian one I used to have in Aleppo, at Hajj Abdo’s simple corner cafe in the heart of the city’s Christian quarter.
Serves 4
For the ful
dried fava beans 400g, soaked overnight in plenty water with 1 tsp baking soda
sea salt
garlic 3 cloves, crushed
For the Egyptian garnish
extra virgin olive oil
tomato 1 medium, ripe and firm, diced into small cubes
spring onions 2 or 3, trimmed and thinly sliced
parsley a few sprigs, most of the stalk discarded, finely chopped
cumin ½ tsp, ground
lemon wedges
For the tarator and Syrian garnish
tahini 125g
garlic 1 clove, crushed
lemon juice of 1, or to taste
water 180ml
Aleppo pepper paste 2 tbsp, diluted with 3 tbsp water (optional)
extra virgin olive oil to drizzle over the ful
Drain and rinse the soaked beans under cold water. Put in a large saucepan and add 1 litre of water. Place over a medium heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2½-3 hours, until the beans are very tender and the cooking water has thickened. Check after an hour or so to ensure the the beans are not drying out. If they are, add a little water. Don’t add too much as you will not be straining the cooked beans. Once done, add salt to taste – you do not want to do this until the very end, otherwise the skins will harden.
To serve the ful Egyptian style, mash the beans coarsely inside the pan then spoon them into a serving bowl. Mix in the crushed garlic and more salt if needed. Wipe the sides clean, then drizzle all over with olive oil. Pile the diced tomatoes in the middle, then the sliced spring onions, then the parsley. Sprinkle the cumin all around the edges over the beans and serve with the lemon wedges and some pitta bread.
To serve the ful Syrian style like Hajj Abdo, make the tarator by mixing the tahini with the crushed garlic and lemon juice, then gradually add the water until the mixture is a little thinner than double cream. You will notice the tahini thickening at first but don’t worry, it will loosen as you add the water. Then pour the tarator in the serving bowl. Add the hot beans prepared with the crushed garlic, as above. Spoon a little diluted pepper paste all over the top, then drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately with pitta bread, sliced tomatoes and spring onions.
Anissa Helou, food writer and chef; anissas.com
Diana Kennedy’s huevos rancheros
This popular way of preparing eggs is also the one that is best known outside Mexico, and rightly so. It combines refreshing tastes and textures to make a very satisfying breakfast dish.
To serve a little more elegantly, cut the tortilla to fit a cocotte, a small, round, shallow ovenproof dish, and mask the eggs with half red and half green sauce. They can be sprinkled with a grated melting cheese and lightly browned under a grill.
Serves 1
vegetable oil 2 tbsp
tortillas 2 small
eggs 2 large
salsa ranchera 125ml, warm (see below)
For the salsa ranchera
Makes about 1 cup (250ml)
tomatoes 450g, grilled (see directions)
serrano chillies or any fresh, hot green chillies 4, charred (see directions)
garlic 1 clove, roughly chopped
vegetable oil 2 tbsp
white onion 2 tbsp, finely chopped
salt ½ tsp, or to taste
To make the salsa, place the tomatoes in one layer in a shallow pan and place under a grill about 8 cm from the heat and grill, turning them once, until mushy and slightly charred. (This is an excellent method if you are going to freeze an abundant crop of tomatoes, when they are at their best in season.)
To prepare the chillies, rinse them well because you never know what traces of insecticides remain. Grill or char the chillies in the same way as the tomatoes, turning them until slightly charred and blistered.
Blend the tomatoes, chillies and garlic together until fairly smooth. Heat the oil, and fry the onion gently, without browning, until it is translucent. Add the blended ingredients and the salt and cook over a fairly brisk heat for about five minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan until the sauce has reduced a little and is well seasoned. Serve as described below.
The sauce can, of course be made several hours ahead; it will keep from one day to another. It also freezes well, but as it tends to separate it is best to defrost and blend briefly before using.
To make the huevos rancheros, heat the oil in a skillet and fry the tortillas lightly on both sides, as you would for enchiladas – they should not become crisp. Drain them on paper towels and place them on a warmed dish. In the same oil, fry the eggs, then place them on the tortillas. Cover the eggs with the warmed sauce and serve immediately.
From The Essential Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy (Crown, £17.99). Click here to order a copy for £19.20
