Rachel Allen - Home Cooking

Spotted dog scones:Make the spotted dog dough as above but flatten into a round about 2.5cm (lin) deep. Cut into scones using a cookie cutter or knife and bake for 15–20 minutes at 230°C (450°F), Gas mark 8.

Frittata is a thick Italian omelette that can be made with a variety of different cheeses, vegetables and herbs. It’s a great way of using up leftover cooked potatoes, and is equally delicious served hot straight from the pan for breakfast or at room temperature for a picnic.

300g (11oz) (about 1 large or 2 small) waxy potatoes, peeled (and halved if large)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, peeled and sliced

8 eggs

50g (2oz) Gruyère cheese, finely grated

110ml (4fl oz) single or regular cream

1 tbsp thyme leaves

Bunch of spring onions, sliced

25cm (10in) diameter ovenproof frying pan with a lid

1Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4.

2Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil and cook for 20–25 minutes or until tender. Drain the potatoes well and return to the pan on a very low heat to dry out for a minute or so. Remove from the heat, tip out onto a plate to cool a little and roughly dice.

3Meanwhile, pour half the olive oil into the ovenproof frying pan on a gentle heat. Add the onion, cover with a lid and cook gently for 6–8 minutes, stirring regularly, until soft and slightly golden. Remove from the pan, spread out on a large plate and set aside to cool a little.

4Next, whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then add the remaining ingredients and the cooked onions and potatoes, season with salt and pepper and gently stir together.

5Place the remaining olive oil in the ovenproof pan and pour in the egg mixture, stirring briefly to distribute the ingredients evenly. Cook on a gentle heat for a few minutes until the mixture begins to set on the bottom, then bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes or until the mixture is set in the centre.

6Remove the pan from the oven and allow the frittata to cool for a couple of minutes before sliding it onto a large serving plate. Cut into wedges to serve.

This classic dish is perfect for entertaining, whether for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. It’s so easy to increase the quantities to feed lots of people. I love the addition of wild rice in this recipe, but it’s fine to use just basmati rice (white or brown) if you prefer. There are quite a few different elements to cook in this recipe, but then it’s just a matter of assembling all the individual ingredients. Serve this simply on its own, or with some mango chutney and a green salad.

150g (5oz) wild rice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

350g (12oz) white or brown basmati rice

500g (1lb 2oz) smoked haddock (about 2 medium fillets)

25g (1oz) butter

350ml (12fl oz) milk

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp coriander seeds

4 tbsp olive oil

2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp garam masala

10 eggs, at room temperature

225g (8oz) fresh or frozen peas

2 tbsp chopped coriander or parsley

2 tbsp chopped chives

50ml (2fl oz) single or regular cream

1Tip the wild rice and a pinch of salt into a saucepan of boiling water and cook on a medium heat for about 45 minutes until the rice is cooked but with a tiny bite still left. Add the basmati rice and a pinch of salt to another saucepan of boiling water and cook until tender. (White basmati rice will take 10–12 minutes to cook and brown basmati rice 25–30 minutes.) Drain well and return both to one pan to keep warm.

2Meanwhile, place the smoked haddock in a wide saucepan and add the butter, milk and a pinch of black pepper. Bring slowly to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10–12 minutes or until the fish is cooked. When it is ready it will begin to fall apart in chunks. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

3Place a very large frying pan on a high heat and toast the cumin and coriander seeds for a few seconds until just a shade darker, then remove the seeds and roughly crush them. (If you don’t have a pestle and mortar, simply tip them out onto a chopping board and crush them with a rolling pin or the base of a pan.)

4Return the pan to a medium heat and add the olive oil. Tip in the onions and sauté for 4–5 minutes or until just turning golden. Add the crushed cumin and coriander seeds, along with the cayenne pepper and garam masala. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pan with a lid and continue to cook the onions for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until completely soft.

5While the onions are cooking, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, gently lower the eggs into the water with a slotted spoon and boil for just 6 minutes until semi-hard boiled. Drain the eggs and run cold water over them to stop them cooking. Peel them once they are cool enough to handle and cut into quarters.

6Tip the peas into a saucepan of boiling water and cook for 1–2 minutes or until tender, then drain. Meanwhile, the haddock should now be cool enough to handle, so remove from the milk (reserving the milk for later), peel away the skin, remove any bones and flake the fish into chunks of about 1cm (½in).

7Now that everything is cooked and prepared, you are ready to assemble the dish. Remove the lid covering the onions and, leaving the pan on a low heat, add the drained wild and basmati rice, the peas and half of each of the coriander or parsley and chives, stirring to mix. Pour over the cream, along with 50ml (2fl oz) of the milk the fish was cooked in, and gently stir to loosen the whole mixture slightly. Add the flaked haddock pieces, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir gently together.

8Transfer the kedgeree to a wide, shallow serving dish or plate and arrange the quartered eggs on top and around the sides, then sprinkle with the remaining chopped herbs and serve.

Not something for breakfast every morning, of course, but there are times when this is just what you need to keep you going for the rest of the day. A fry-up is great when friends are staying — simply multiply the ingredients given below by however many people you are feeding. Source the best local ingredients you can and follow up with a big walk. If you prefer your eggs boiled or poached, see pages 25 and 30.

Vegetable, sunflower or olive oil, for frying

2 sausages

2 rashers of thick, dry-cured, smoked or unsmoked, back or streaky bacon, rind removed

2–3 slices of black and/or white pudding

Butter, for frying and spreading on toast

50g (2oz) button mushrooms, sliced, or 1 large flat mushroom, any stalk removed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 ripe tomato, halved

Pinch of caster sugar (if roasting the tomato in the oven)