Who doesn’t like a full Irish breakfast? This variation is all done in the oven and can be brought straight to the table. It will keep you going for the day. The key to a good Irish breakfast is the quality of your ingredients. Try to get the best-quality, dry-cured bacon. Simply Better does great, award-winning black and white puddings that are produced in Clare by the Meere family.
This porridge bread is a little bit different from the traditional soda bread as it uses porridge oats. I had the great pleasure of visiting Flahavans for my TV programme a while back. What a great family business.
This is quite a dense bread and is served with smoked salmon. It can be made the day before. Otherwise, it literally takes five minutes to make and is also good toasted for up to three days.
The key to scrambled eggs is making them fresh and not overcooking them. Add in the butter towards the end. If they get watery they are overcooked. Half cook them, take them off and they will finish in the pan. If you prefer your scrambled eggs more chunky, don’t whisk the egg and cream mixture together. Pour or break the eggs straight into the pan and then add the cream, stirring continuously. Enjoy your breakfast and take your time with a nice cup of tea of coffee. You can rush around for the rest of the year.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Neven Maguire’s Home Economics for Life is published by Gill Books
Full Irish one-tray breakfast
Serves six to eight
8 large butcher-style sausages
8 flat chestnut mushrooms, stems trimmed
4 ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half
Rapeseed oil, to drizzle
½ tsp fresh thyme leaves
4 large slices black pudding, halved
8 large eggs
8 rindless dry cure bacon rashers
1 large Batch loaf, cut into slices
Farmhouse fermented butter, for spreading
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly brewed tea, strong Dalkey mustard and Ballymaloe relish to serve
Porridge bread with smoked salmon & scrambled eggs
Serves eight
450g (1lb) smoked salmon slices or ribbons
For the porridge bread:
500ml (18fl oz) carton natural yoghurt
1 large egg
2 tbsp olive oil
2 x 500ml (18fl oz) cartons porridge oats (375g (13oz)
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Handful of oat bran (optional)
For the scrambled eggs:
12 eggs
6 tbsp milk
1 tbsp snipped fresh chives, plus extra whole ones to garnish
75g (3oz) butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper