Italian Scrambled Eggs on Toast

Next week is British Egg Week (5-11 October), and to mark the occasion I've recreated a classic egg dish, with a twist. Scrambled egg is one of the first things I learnt to cook growing up, and as this was before we had a microwave, it was cooked in a saucepan on the hob. Cooking scrambled eggs on the hob is still my preferred way of cooking it, but as this is also the husband's 'speciality' it's usually cooked in a jug, in the microwave, with little stirring (he says the kids prefer it that way!)

I've jazzed my eggs up with a little Italian touch and served them on a toasted ciabatta roll, instead of the usual sliced white. This recipe can serve 1-2, depending on how hungry you're feeling.

Italian Scrambled Eggs on Toast - serves 1

olive oil

4 cherry tomatoes

small knob of butter
3 medium free range eggs

salt & pepper

splash of milk

fresh basil

ciabatta roll, lightly toasted

parmesan

• heat the olive oil in a small saucepan
• add the tomatoes and cook for a few of minutes over a med/high heat until they soften
• remove the tomatoes from the pan & set aside
• add a little butter to the pan and heat until melted
• beat the eggs, salt & pepper & torn basil leaves together
• add to the pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring & scraping the bottom of the pan (I like to use a wooden spatula for this), until the eggs are cooked
• serve with the tomatoes on the ciabatta roll & top with freshly grated parmesan

 

To keep up to date with new recipes next week, follow #BritishEggWeek on twitter.

This recipe has been created for a #shortcuteggsperts challenge. I have been provided with shopping vouchers to cover the cost of my ingredients. More egg recipes can be found here.

Roast Pork & Stuffing Pasties

I'm not one to blow my own trumpet, but I do make a darn good pasty. It doesn't seem to matter what the filling is as it's the pastry that makes it, and this is the easiest pastry to make. It's so flaky and light, and it reminds me of the crust of a decent Cornish pasty. 

Well, that's enough blowing of that trumpet for one day, and onto the recipe. I first came across a cream cheese pastry in a Martha Stewart cookery book, and adjusted the quantities as it was all in cup measurements. This is now my pastry of choice when it comes to making pasties and pies, although it does tend to shrink away from the edges in a pie, but is perfect for pasties. After a roast dinner we had some leftover roast pork, which I teamed with a few rashers of cooked bacon and a packet of stuffing, which I served with boiled potatoes, vegetables and gravy.  

Roast Pork & Stuffing Pasties - makes 4

filling 
85g pack of stuffing mix (I used sage & onion)
leftover roast pork, chopped
6 cooked bacon rashers, chopped

pastry
150g full fat cream cheese, diced
150g cold butter, diced
250g plain flour
1/2 tsp dried rosemary (optional)
1 egg, beaten

• Make the stuffing up as per directions on the pack
• mix in the pork and bacon to combine (add a little extra water (or gravy if you have it) if it's too stiff) & set aside to cool
• Add all the pastry ingredients into a stand mixer bowl
• Using a flat beater, mix all the ingredients together until combined and just starting to come together
• Press the pastry together, wrap in clingfilm & refrigerate for approx 1/2 an hour (do not be tempted to over work the pastry)
• Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces
• Roll each piece of dough out into a circle, approx size of a tea plate
• Add quarter of the filling into the centre of the pastry circle
• Fold over one side of the dough onto the other
• Crimp the edges 
• Repeat for remaining pasties
• Brush the pasties with the beaten egg
• Bake in a preheated 200C oven for approx 25-30 minutes, until golden brown