ICSA 69: Dude, How Fares The Empire?

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Cavenagh: Oct 9, 2007; Grrrrrrrrr.

Breakfast is a time of day. That bleary eyed bit just after you wake up and shovel down whatever you've got that needs scant preparation. There's loads of different breakfast dishes though, all based on some similar ideas. It's what you've got. It's preserved. It's quick(ish). It's leftovers combined in new and exciting ways and it's best when someone else makes the stuff.

Unfortunately I'm the house cook so I had to make everything.

Tis The First Dish
I got left over Mashed Potato...

I got Kale that needs using and some leftover Roast Celeriac...

And I got a garden full of Herbs like Parsley and Chives and Garlic Chives

Sooo Fry up the Kale, make it crispy. Mix it into the mash along with the Herbs and the Celeriac and any seasonings and more butter and cream.Mix it all together

And what you got? Bubble and Squeak baby. Form into patties and fry up them circles of delight:

Ta Dah, as the Queen is wont to say.

That ain't it though, oh no. Need's a protein to fuel the forthcoming nap. So keep warm in oven.

This is an Ox Kidney. Or Cow Kidney. Marvelous piece of work, filtering urine and stuff. I'd have preferred Lamb Kidney as I likes it better, not fond of Pig Kidney, so Ox it is. Lucky Ox.

Cut it up, remove the white cores and soak the bits in Milk for like, ages. Cuts back on that urine tang.

Whilst it soaks away all the interesting animal flavours, make a Devil Sauce. Those American party stand bys, the ever present Devilled Eggs? Weak descendants of what a Devilling should be.

Start with Sherry or some Booze. Add English Mustard, Worcestershire Sauce, Chilli, some Unpictured Horseradish, more Chillies. Reduce it all down together. Season to taste with Salt, Pepper and Vinegar. I found I need to round out the flavour somewhat with Red Wine and Beef Stock. It's supposed to be spicy though. That's the main flavour when Devilling. Not Mayo and that Yellow stuff that gets squirted on childrens hot dogs. Keep it all reducing until it's a thick syrupy thing.

Pat them organs dry, season and throw in a hot hot pan. They're best cooked to Medium Rare. Slosh the Sauce in.

Now plate. As it's a Supper Dish. be fancy. Or do what I did.

Bubble and Squeak, a smear of Wholegrain Mustard, Topped with Kidneys. Add some Dressed Arugula and Watermelon Radish. Though I suppose at a stretch you could use another Radish.

If there's reluctant children or reluctant adults strewn about, you can use Mushrooms in place of the Kidneys. I added them to the Kidneys anyway as I enjoy that old Victorian parlour game, Shroom or Filtration Organ.

Dish The Second That Could Be A Second Course If You're Inclined

Pork is central to so many breakfast dishes. Had to use some. Bacon and Sausage, sure, there's some here. But not as such central stars as they normally are.

Some mire poix of Carrot, Celery, Fennel, Leek, Onion, Garlic, Star Anise, White Pepper, Black Pepper, Thyme, Bay and Parsley Stalks..

Pig Trotters and Hock bits...

All bathing together in a Pressure Cooker.

Then the meat gets picked apart,

Some sausage I made a while back ends up in the mix. Wholegrain mustard to bind the meats together into balls

And fry the Bon Bons. Could use ham, bacon, confit duck. They're like Scotch Eggs without the Egg or the Sausage. Balls. They're Balls of Meat. Fried Balls of Meat. Flour, Egg and Bread Crumbed and dropped lovingly into a pool of hot hot oil. Keep warm in oven.

Bacon and onions in the pressure cooker, searing away. Add some of that stock that the Hocks made and pour in dried Beans. These were Great Northern ones. Pressure cook at high for like 20 minutes.

Fry off some Tomato Puree.

Pour in the Cooked Beans, mix around and hey. You got yourself a superior Baked Bean thing happening.

Finish with some fresh Savoury, cut from the garden. Goes great with Beans. And eggs. And Squirrel.

Hey there, what's this? Why, just a little Mise En Place.

Some Fat Back, Onion and Garlic, Marjoram and Mace and All Spice, Polenta, a nice jar of Goose Fat and Pigs Blood. Blood Blood BLOOD. PIGS BLOOD.

Y'all have some idea of what I'm making here? Wrong! I'm making a Blood Cake. Shout out to Fergus Henderson here, for his recipe for Blood Cake and Fried Eggs as writ in the tome 'Nose To Tail Eating'.

Cook the aliums with a dollop of that Goose Fat, Duck will do if you have no Goose to slaughter, gently until translucent. Add all the other bits, the Polenta, the Herbs and Spices, and the Blood. It'll thicken nicely.

Season to taste. To quote Fergus: "Not for the squeamish cook" Be bold, take a wide legged stance and taste the stuff with a flourish. When all content with how your Blood is tasting, remove from heat and add the diced Fat Back. It pops beautifully when eating this blood based thing. Spanish Chorizo would be awesome too.

Load into a film lined loaf tin and bake in a bain marie, covered water bath, in a low low oven for a couple of hours until firm to touch.

Unload from the loaf tin and pretend it's a Brownie.

Sloice it up. A tad more crumbly than I wanted, a tad being another way of saying it's too loving crumbly. But it squishes together,

Then fry it up.

We got Fried Blood Cake, Beans and Hock Bon Bons. Time to plate and add the rest of the bits to the dish:

That pork stock that cooked the hocks and beans, reducing down to a thick syrupy thing:

Some purty little tomatoes frying off:

Cod frying in Turmeric Butter. I was going to smoke them first, but it was raining and I'd just had my hair done. So unsmoked, but essential. What's breakfast without yellow fish after all?

And tiny eggs.

Served with an appropriate beverage.

Is that a lot of things? I think so. Luckily the third dish has fewer ingredients. Three.

Positively The Final Dish

Three ingredients.

It's a Posset. Possets have had a revival recently, in the UK. Couldn't turn a corner with having one thrust in your face. Even on the airplane coming back, Possets. Luckily I like possets.

Make a Lemon Syrup, Zest, Sugar and Lemon Juice. Let cool.

Gently gently gently slowly heat Cream to just about boiling. Slow and gentle so it doesn't split.

And whisk the syrup in. Let cool some more, strain, and pour into receptacles.

So far, a simple clean Lemon Posset with much zinging. But pretty basic, and not very breakfasty. Even though it's a dessert, it's supposed to be breakfasty. Then this hove into view:

Roses Lemon and Lime Marmalade. Bastion of my childhood holiday breakfasts. A Full English is often accompanied by toast that gets slathered in Marmalade to finish the meal. I kind of did Toast, well, Fried Bread, with the Bread Crumb coated Bon Bon.

Let's make Marmalade!

Take those squeezed Lemons and some Limes that were waiting for gin and whatever Oranges you can wrest from the pre-schoolers grip. Boil 'em or Pressure Cook them until soft.

Thinly slice the peels, no, thinner than that. Cover with Sugar and splash in a little water (Or Whiskey. Or Tequila. Or Gin. Or Rum. I used Tequila). Bring to boil and boil until you have a wonderful citrusy sugar sludge.

And huzzah! You've made Marmalade. Sweet and Bitter as it should be.

And to finish, daub some Marmalade on the Possets and scatter a few Lemon Thyme leaves too.

Deviled Kidneys. Blood Cake and Curry Fish and Beans. Marmalade Posset. Grand suppers, full on English Breakfasts. Kind of a cliche, sure. But a good one.