The return of lie-ins and lazy breakfasts

One of the things I missed most when I was working in the café was long, leisurely weekend breakfasts. There is little that I love as much as starting a weekend day with a multi-coursed breakfast. In my case, it usually includes nut-filled muesli with some chopped banana, berries and nut milk; something egg-y; toasted bread with almond butter and honey; and lots of green tea.

I've been going through a mourning period for the café lately. Someone else opened a new café there last month and I've found myself envying them the incomparable excitement of creating a space that is all about welcoming people and giving them good things to eat and drink.
But whenever I've found myself hankering for the café too much, I remind myself of all I have gained by leaving it behind and that includes my new-found appreciation of weekend breakfasts...

I've been experimenting with different breakfast dishes these past few weeks and this is a simple one I've made and enjoyed on several occasions now.

Ingredients (serves four people or two especially hungry ones)
250 grams fresh spinach leaves 
4 slices of smoked salmon
4 best-quality eggs*
1/4 teaspoon salt 

You will also need ramekins or a muffin tin

• Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Sprinkle the salt over the spinach and cook in your preferred way. I cook mine in a steamer over boiling water for seven minutes or until wilted.
• Let the spinach cool a little and once you can handle it, use your hands to squeeze out all excess water.
• Divide the spinach between your four ramekins or four sections of your muffin tray.
  
• Lay the smoked salmon on top.

• Break an egg into each of the four ramekins or sections of the muffin tray, on top of the spinach and salmon.
  
• Cook in the oven for ten to twelve minutes or until set.
• Use a knife to cut the egg away from the edges of the ramekin or muffin tin.
• Lift the egg-y muffin out of the tin using a dessert spoon (you don't want to break that runny yolk just yet) and place on a slice of warm toast.
• Dig deliciously in.
  

*Anyone following the OMS (Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis) diet will have been advised to avoid eggs as they contain up to 8g of saturated fat per egg - which is a lot when you're supposed to keep your saturated fat intake below 10g a day and never exceed 20g. However, I have realised that eggs are the foods I miss most when following this diet (much more than chocolate, to my eternal surprise) and so on the days when I have an egg, I make sure I don't eat anything else that contains a significant amount of saturated fat. Eggs offer so much nutritional goodness - especially if they come from free-range hens that are allowed to roam and eat as they please - that I feel justified in eating them once or twice a week. Anyway, my luxurious weekend mornings simply wouldn't be the same without them!

 


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Lamenting the loss of lie-ins

Oh, lie-ins, how I miss you. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed one of you, the last time I dawdled in bed with nothing to do except flick through magazines, doze and wonder what to have for breakfast.

I've been working so hard trying to get this café up and running while struggling to keep up with my writing and teaching work at the same time. Last Wednesday saw me teaching a class in Tralee, taking an interview in my car and then writing a 1200 word article in a car park all the while being interrupted by calls from fire safety officers and suppliers. This is just how erratic my life has got. So erratic that I'm going to bed exhausted every night and rolling out of bed early the next morning only to do it all over again. 

You can see why I miss lie-ins... 

I've made progress though. The painting is finished bar a few touch-ups. The kitchen is near ready. I've sorted out lots (but not all) of my suppliers. I've even hired some staff. And I also have a name. But it seems to be contentious...

I wasn't anticipating this but I've had conflicting reactions to the name and I wonder what you are going to think of it. I've decided to call it (drum roll, please):

Béile le Chéile (I'm useless at figuring out how to write things phonetically but it's pronounced something like bay-le le chay-le and it loosely translates as 'a shared meal'.)

Anyhow, I thought it sounded lovely as it rhymes and I liked the communal feel of what it meant. And I wanted something that was in the Irish language as it's something that I feel is at the heart of who we are in this part of Ireland yet it's also something that is slowly fading away.

So... here are the reactions I’ve had to it. Irish-speaking people instantly like it. It makes them smile.
Irish people who don’t speak English don’t like it and think that the fact it’s an Irish name will keep people away from the café. Be honest with me here: do you really think this will happen?
Foreigners who are not English speaking like it once they are told what it means and think it will have no bearing on whether or not they would go to a café.
Foreigners who live in Dingle and are not Irish speaking think it might affect business.
My boyfriend, who is English and speaks hardly any Irish, doesn’t know what to think!

I’m confused. It took me ages to come up with the name (and I have to give credit to my sister's boyfriend Gearóid for the final choice). I wanted it to be in Irish as I think the fact that the language is in decline has a lot to do with people like me abandoning it in favour of English when presented with situations such as this. I wasn’t expecting my choice of name to present me with such ethical problems. What do you think?

As you can see, I’ve had problems on my plate which is why I haven’t posted here for a while. I’d have much preferred to have something like this on my plate – a breakfast dish that is perfect for people who have just enjoyed a lie-in, a dish that is full of flavour, that is worth lingering over and is a great way to start a lazy weekend.

It comes from Yotam Ottolenghi's book 'Plenty' and it's eggy, herby and spicy with a hint of sweetness. It's called Shakshuka and it's one of my favourite ways to celebrate having had a lie-in.

And although it takes over a half an hour to make, you can make the pepper mix in advance and then all you need to do is cook the eggs in it for ten minutes in the morning. I've done this before and it's so worth it.

This makes a very satisfying brunch for two
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
90ml vegetable oil or light olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 red and 1 yellow pepper, halved, quartered and then cut into 2cm strips
2 teaspoons muscuvado sugar
1 bay leaf
3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped coriander, plus extra to garnish
3 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Up to 125ml water
4 free-range eggs
Salt and black pepper

• Place a large frying pan over a high heat and dry roast the cumin seeds for two minutes.
• Add the oil and the onions and sauté for five minutes.
• Add the peppers, sugar and herbs and continue cooking on a high heat for five to ten minutes to get a nice colour.
• Add the tomatoes, saffron, cayenne and some salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.
• During the cooking, keep adding water so that the mix has the consistency of pasta sauce.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning. You want something with a strong flavour.  (This is the part of the dish that you can make up in advance - it keeps well in the fridge).
• Remove the bay leaf and divide the mix into two separate small frying pans, each large enough to take an individual portion. 
• Place them on a medium heat to warm up.
• Then make two gaps in the mix and break an egg into each gap.
• Sprinkle with salt and cover the pans with lids.
• Cook on a very gentle heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until the eggs are just set.
• Sprinkle with coriander and serve with some crusty bread.

Breakfasts like this are what make me miss lie-ins even more. Oh well, off I go to the café to finish the painting and start decorating the bathrooms. If I get enough done today, maybe I can have a lie-in followed by some shakshuka for breakfast tomorrow. Now there's a thought to inspire a girl to work harder.