A late-morning Bank Holiday weekend breakfast

I'm taking next week off - hooray! Let the holiday begin. And after staying at work until 9:30pm last night to prepare for my week away, I sure as well deserve it.

My late-night workplace heroics also meant I missed the opportunity to cook the lovely raw frozen king prawns I removed from the freezer Friday morning in hopes of making lovely grilled prawns with pitta, minted yogurt and salad. My husband sensed my weakness and bought in Thai takeaway for us, which I hoovered up along with a gorgeous bottle of Pinot Gris that we brought back from Oregon earlier this summer.

So what to do with those beautiful prawns? They need using. And suddenly I'm reminded of an entry in Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries of a light summer dinner of an omelette with potted shrimps and a glass of white wine.

So I'm thinking a prawn frittata with garlic, bread crumbs and creme fraiche would really hit the spot. I've got loads of freshly-cut cantaloupe in the fridge too - so think I shall make a cantaloupe salsa (yum). Shall report back with the recipe - and my opinions - following my feast.

Update: here's the cantaloupe salsa recipe

mushroom frittata with truffle oil

The truffle oil I bought at Borough Market over the holidays has been sitting in my cupboards, waiting patiently for me to use it. Saturday morning was just the time.

Mushroom frittata was on the menu, but I wanted to jazz it up a bit. In spring, a bit of goats cheese in a mushroom and asparagus frittata tastes fresh and lively. But in winter, something a bit richer, a bit deeper is in order.

So in addition to the eggs, shallots and mushrooms in the frittata base, I added one slice of bread’s worth of breadcrumbs to the top and one tiny teaspoon (that’s all you need!) to the dish before placing it under the grill for about 3 minutes. The results were astounding.

Truffle oil may be expensive, but all of the flavour that was pulled out of that little teaspoon is certainly value for money. Save it for special occasions (or a cosy January breakfast).

If you’re not sure how to make a frittata, click here for a basic recipe.

The importance of eating breakfast

There are several reasons why eating breakfast is a smart move. After a night of sleep, our bodies need fuel to get moving in the morning. Without sustained energy, the body either crashes or the person must eat even more later to make up for the drop in blood sugar. Dieting New Yorkers passing out on the subway (aka “sick passengers”) are one of the most common reasons for travel delays.

A recent nutrition study has shown that kids need breakfast to perform well at school. Some schools in the US are taking the initiative to make it available to kids in the morning.

Explains Pennsylvania Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak: "A good breakfast has benefits beyond nutrition. Research proves that a healthy, balanced breakfast at the start of the school day improves a child's classroom performance and reduces the likelihood of behavioural problems. A healthy breakfast helps create a healthy student who is able to bring a focused mind and positive attitude into the classroom each morning. A child distracted by hunger cannot be expected to fully concentrate on learning.

"School breakfasts have the added benefit of teaching children good nutritional habits that can help them avoid the many health-related problems associated with obesity and poor nutrition. This not only puts them on a path to a longer, stronger life, it also reduces medical costs.”

Everyone needs good, fast breakfast to get them on his or her way: there’s poached egg on toast, fruit and yogurt, porridge/oatmeal, Shredded Wheat and others. The “full English” breakfast is perhaps not the best option.

The importance of eating breakfast

There are several reasons why eating breakfast is a smart move. After a night of sleep, our bodies need fuel to get moving in the morning. Without sustained energy, the body either crashes or the person must eat even more later to make up for the drop in blood sugar. Dieting New Yorkers passing out on the subway (aka “sick passengers”) are one of the most common reasons for travel delays.

A recent nutrition study has shown that kids need breakfast to perform well at school. Some schools in the US are taking the initiative to make it available to kids in the morning.

Explains Pennsylvania Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak: "A good breakfast has benefits beyond nutrition. Research proves that a healthy, balanced breakfast at the start of the school day improves a child's classroom performance and reduces the likelihood of behavioural problems. A healthy breakfast helps create a healthy student who is able to bring a focused mind and positive attitude into the classroom each morning. A child distracted by hunger cannot be expected to fully concentrate on learning.

"School breakfasts have the added benefit of teaching children good nutritional habits that can help them avoid the many health-related problems associated with obesity and poor nutrition. This not only puts them on a path to a longer, stronger life, it also reduces medical costs.”

Everyone needs good, fast breakfast to get them on his or her way: there’s poached egg on toast, fruit and yogurt, porridge/oatmeal, Shredded Wheat and others. The “full English” breakfast is perhaps not the best option.

the importance of eating breakfast

There are several reasons why eating breakfast is a smart move. After a night of sleep, our bodies need fuel to get moving in the morning. Without sustained energy, the body either crashes or the person must eat even more later to make up for the drop in blood sugar. Dieting New Yorkers passing out on the subway (aka “sick passengers”) are one of the most common reasons for travel delays.

Everyone needs good, fast breakfast to get them on his or her way: there’s poached egg on toast, fruit and yogurt, porridge/oatmeal, Shredded Wheat and others. The “full English” breakfast is perhaps not the best option.

mushroom and courgette frittata with goats cheese

Frittatas are the grown up glamourous older sister to scrambled eggs. And they are just as easy and extremely versatile.

Try this one:

(serves 2)
250 g chestnut mushrooms, de-stemmed and sliced
1 large courgette, sliced into rounds and then quartered
3-4 shallots, peeled and sliced
3 medium eggs
a splash of skimmed milk
salt and pepper
olive oil spray
50-75 g creamy French goats cheese

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan and add the mushrooms, courgettes and shallots over medium/medium-high heat. Season, cover and allow to sweat for about five minutes.

Whisk the eggs, milk and pepper with a fork. Preheat the grill.

Add the eggs to the saute pan, pouring so that all the nooks and crannies are filled. Make sure the heat is down to medium at least. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes more, so that the egg is cooked on the bottom but still wet on top.

Break up the goats cheese and dot on top of the frittata. Place pan under the grill for five minutes.

Remove from the grill and use the spatula to break into pizza-shaped slices and serve.

Calories: 1/3 of the frittata - about 200 calories. 1/2 of the frittata - about 300.

A third of the frittata is often enough for me, leaving the rest for my husband.

To make this into a lunch, serve with salad. And if you don't like goats cheese, a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche is lovely too.

fruit and yogurt

It's a saturday summer morning. Sipping my tea, I wonder what to have for breakfast.

Luckily, I've stocked up at Lower Marsh market on my lunch break on Friday on juicy, luscious fruit. Blackberries, apricots, raspberries, strawberries, nectarines. Okay, so maybe I got a little carried away. But I'm so pleased at the thought of English fruit and if not English then at least Spanish fruit on offer.

With market fruit, the key is to eat it quickly - unless of course, you're going to make a compote or an applesauce. Last summer I was so excited by plums that I bought an insane number of them. I had plum applesauce to last me the rest of the year almost!

Fresh fruit and yogurt is amazing, especially with such a choice. This morning I'm going to have blackberries, raspberries and cantaloupe with natural yogurt.

Having fat-free natural yogurt is a really healthy option. And Yeo Valley's fat free natural version tastes great too. I don't really recommend the store brands, such as Sainsbury's or Tesco. They do a lot of things well, but I don't think this is one of them.

Breakfast fruit and yogurt
1/4 cantaloupe, chopped
50 g blackberries
50 g blueberries
2 big heaping dessert spoons of yogurt

calories: under 100 (about 90)

This breakfast is great for a lazy Saturday morning passed by reading the paper and drinking cups of tea. It's best when a lovely lunch is planned for a few hours later, before heading to the park for a lazy afternoon.

Stay tuned for lunch... warm octopus and bean salad. I myself can't wait.

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