Rachel Allen - Home Cooking

1 smoked mackerel fillet (about 110g/4oz in weight)

4 eggs

1 tbsp milk

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

15g (½oz) butter

1 tsp finely chopped chives

1 tsp finely chopped parsley

1Remove the skin from the mackerel fillet, scraping off any dark residue left behind, then flake the flesh into small pieces.

2Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the milk, season with salt and pepper and beat together. Add the butter to a small saucepan on a low heat, pour in the eggs and cook as in the basic recipe left.

3Stir the flaked mackerel into the scrambled eggs, along with the chives and parsley. Check the seasoning and serve immediately.

1 tbsp sunflower oil

25g (1oz) butter

75g (3oz) mushrooms, quartered

Squeeze of lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 eggs

1 tbsp milk

1 tbsp finely chopped chives

1Heat the sunflower oil with half the butter in a medium-sized frying pan on a gentle heat and sauté the mushrooms for 4–5 minutes or until softened and turning golden. Squeeze over the lemon juice and season well with salt and pepper before removing from the heat with a slotted spoon.

2Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a bowl, add the milk, season with salt and pepper and beat together. Add the remaining butter to a small saucepan on a low heat, pour in the eggs and cook as in the basic recipe opposite.

3Stir in the chives and sautéed mushrooms and check the seasoning. Divide between plates and serve immediately.

1 tbsp olive oil

3 rashers of streaky bacon, cut into slices

4 eggs

1 tbsp milk

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

15g (½oz) butter

25g (1oz) Gruyère cheese, finely grated

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

1Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan and sauté the bacon for 2–3 minutes or until crisp and golden. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

2Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a bowl, add the milk, season with salt and pepper and beat together. Add the butter to a small saucepan on a low heat, pour in the eggs and cook as in the basic recipe opposite.

3Stir in the cooked bacon, Gruyère and parsley. Check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if necessary, and serve immediately.

15g (½oz) butter

6 cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 tsp finely chopped red or green chilli

4 eggs

1 tbsp milk

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp finely chopped red onion

1 tbsp roughly chopped coriander

1Melt the butter in a small saucepan on a medium heat, add the tomatoes and chilli and cook for 2–3 minutes, covered with a lid, until they are soft.

2Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the milk, season with a good pinch of salt and some pepper and beat together. Pour into the tomato and chilli mixture, reduce the heat and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring continuously, until the eggs are softly scrambled.

3Stir in the onion and coriander and check the seasoning. Divide between plates and serve the eggs either on their own or on top of warm tortillas or buttered toast.

The secret of poaching eggs is to use the freshest, highest-quality eggs you can find. These eggs are seriously dolled up, but you can of course serve them more simply on toast. Prepare the hollandaise sauce first and keep warm while you cook everything else.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 eggs

2 English muffins, sliced in half

25g (1oz) butter

4 slices (about 110g/4oz) of ham or grilled rashers of bacon

150ml (5fl oz) hollandaise sauce (see page 331)

1 tbsp finely chopped chives

1Fill a saucepan with water, add a pinch of salt and bring to a gentle simmer. Crack the eggs one by one into a small cup and slide it into the water. The water should not boil, but remain bubbling gently. Cook the eggs for 2–3 minutes or until the whites are set and the yolks still runny. Lift out carefully with a slotted spoon and drain well on kitchen paper.

2Meanwhile, lightly toast the muffins in a toaster or under a preheated grill and butter the cut side. Put the muffin halves on plates and arrange a folded ham slice or grilled bacon rasher on top of each. Place a poached egg on top and spoon over the hollandaise sauce. Scatter with the chopped chives, grind some black pepper over the top and serve immediately.

Vegetarian eggs Benedict:Try this take on eggs Florentine (eggs served with spinach) by melting 25g (1oz) butter in a frying pan and sautéing 200g (7oz) spinach leaves, seasoned with salt and pepper, for 2–3 minutes or until wilted. Drain on kitchen paper and arrange on the muffin halves in place of the ham. Top with the poached egg, hollandaise sauce and chives, to serve.

This is a rich white soda bread with dried fruit added to make it ‘spotted'. It is also called ‘railway cake’ in some parts of Ireland, dating from the time when people took the train everywhere, with a currant for each station. A real family favourite of ours, it’s divine served straight from the oven, cut into slices and smothered in butter and jam or toasted and topped with cheese.

450g (1lb) plain flour, plus extra for dusting

1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp caster sugar

110g (4oz) sultanas, raisins or currants (or a mixture)

1 egg

400ml (14fl oz) buttermilk or soured milk (see tip on page 24)

1Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F), Gas mark 7.

2Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl, stir in the sugar and dried fruit and make a well in the centre. Beat the egg and buttermilk or soured milk together and pour most of it in (leaving about 50ml/2fl oz in the measuring jug).

3Using one hand with your fingers outstretched like a claw, bring the flour and liquid together moving your hand in circles around the bowl, adding a little more buttermilk if necessary. Don’t knead the mixture or it will become too heavy. The dough should be softish but not too wet and sticky.

4Once it comes together, turn onto a floured work surface and bring together a little more. Pat the dough into a round, about 6cm (2½in) in height, and cut a deep cross in it, from one side of the loaf to the other. Place on a baking tray lightly dusted with flour.

5Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6 and bake for a further 30–35 minutes. I often turn the loaf upside down for the last 5 minutes of cooking to help crisp the bottom. When cooked the bread will be golden and sound hollow when tapped on the base. Allow to cool on a wire rack before cutting into thick slices to serve.