Around the world in 4 dishes: Easy globally inspired breakfast recipes
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and having a hearty one not only energises you, but also gives you the required spur to go about the day. But preparing a hearty breakfast does not have to be time-consuming. Here are four breakfast recipes from around the world that you can prepare in a jiffy.
FRENCH CROQUE MADAME
Ingredients
A few slices of sourdough bread
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp mustard
½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
5-6 slices of chicken rasher
1 egg
Lettuce leaves
1 tomato
For the béchamel sauce –
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 ½ cup milk
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
Method
To make the bechamel sauce, add butter in a pan and once it is melted, add in flour. Mix these together and pour in a small amount of milk then stir. After that, add the remaining milk and keep stirring until it becomes a thick sauce. Finally, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
In another pan, toast slices of sourdough bread on both sides. Then, spread mustard on them followed by the bechamel sauce. Layer with chicken rasher, sliced tomatoes, and lettuce. Finally, close the sandwich and top with cheese — broil for a couple of minutes until the cheese is melted. Also, fry a egg sunny side up and top the sandwich with it.
CLASSIC ENGLISH BREAKFAST
Ingredients
2 eggs
1/3 cup mushroom
2 large tomatoes
4 sausages
4 slices beef bacon
2 slices of sourdough bread
1 cup canned beans
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 tbsp oil
Method
In a pan, heat some oil and lay the bacon slices and sausages and let them sizzle. Cut the tomatoes in half and sprinkle the open side with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Let these cook on all sides. Once they sizzle and are cooked, remove them and set aside.
Chop the mushrooms and add them to the pan, then sprinkle over salt and pepper and toss. Cook them for 5 minutes, until nice and tender, and remove from pan. Then, carefully fry two eggs sunny side up. Finally, toast the slices of sourdough bread. Assemble everything neatly together on a plate and then finish off with a cup of beans.
TEX-MEX BREAKFAST FAJITAS
Ingredients
8 tortillas
2 bell peppers
2 large potatoes
2 chicken breasts
100g mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
½ cup mushrooms
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp oil
Method
To cook the chicken, slice them into strips and coat them with cumin powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Heat oil in a pan and cook them until nice and juicy and set them aside. In the same pan, cook the potatoes in light oil with the same combination of spices. Cut the bell peppers into thin slices and cook those as well. Once they are soft and tender, leave them aside.
Chop up the mushrooms into small dices and beat the eggs with them. Scramble the eggs and set that aside as well. To assemble, lightly toast the tortillas and top with the cooked chicken, vegetables, scrambled eggs and finish off with a generous sprinkling of mozzarella cheese on top.
ITALIAN TOMATOES AND FRITTATA
Ingredients
For the tomatoes –
4 tomatoes
½ cup olives
2 onions
2 garlic cloves
½ tsp salt
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp oil
For the eggs –
4 eggs
¼ cup milk
1/3 cup mushrooms
2 garlic cloves
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Method
To cook the tomatoes, dice them up along with the garlic and onions. Slice the olives and heat oil in a pan. Start by sautéing the garlic and onions. Once translucent, throw in the tomatoes and olives. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, chilli powder, and oregano. Cook for 6-8 minutes and once everything is succulent and aromatic, remove from heat.
To cook the eggs, beat them with milk, finely chopped mushrooms, chopped garlic, and shredded cheese and mix everything properly. Season with salt and pepper and then pour the mixture in a greased baking dish. Bake this in a preheated oven at 180° C. Once done, serve warm along with the tomatoes.
Food: Fariha Amber