sweet potato, chorizo & kale hash

I mentioned in my post about Kopapa that I wanted to try and recreate the dish I chose - the chorizo hash. Well, often these intentions get put on the back-burner, but I actually managed to make this happen in a timely manner!

This is honestly one of the simplest, yet nutritious (2 superfoods!) & delicious meals that I've made, and it takes about 20 minutes in total. It would make a great packed lunch, an easy yet filling brunch, or even a quick weekday dinner. Am I selling it to you yet?

I'm not a huge fan of potatoes (except when they're in the form of fries, because of course.), so I always dismissed sweet potatoes as something I wouldn't be keen on - but being bombarded constantly with information about all the health benefits of these things, I finally got round to including them in my shopping from time to time. And now I'm a convert! Using them in savoury dishes means I enjoy that sweet/salty combination that I love, and they are very versatile and extremely filling. Plus, I think the colour is beautiful, which is always a bonus.

Are there any sweet potato recipes you can share with me to expand my repertoire?

Sweet Potato, Chorizo & Kale Hash

Ingredients: {for 2-3 servings}

1 large sweet potato, cubed

70g chorizo, sliced

half a bag of kale (about 100g)

half a red onion, sliced

2-3 cloves garlic, sliced

2 eggs (optional)

smoked paprika

olive oil

salt & pepper

To make:

1) Boil the cubed sweet potato for about 5-7 minutes, until tender.

2) Steam the kale in the microwave for 1 minute.

3) Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan, cook the red onion, garlic & chorizo until a little browned.

4) Add the sweet potato, and a generous sprinkle of smoked paprika. Shake it around and let the flavours mix together. 

5) Add the kale and shake around some more. Season to taste.

6) Remove from heat, and quickly fry a couple of eggs to your liking.

7) Bon apetit! 

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ladies who brunch :: kopapa

S, E and I have been friends since we were 13/14, when we met in school. Not just any school - it was a very small boarding school, which took friendships (the good, the bad & the ugly!) to a whole other level. We did the majority of our growing up together, surviving the delights and disasters of our teenage years and knowing each other from our first to last boyfriends. 

Sitting in one of our bedrooms after "lights out", switching the light back on and watching the O.C. and other slightly embarrassing TV shows, we'd often talk about the day we'd be out in the free world, as adults, and how we'd meet up for brunch on weekends like true city ladies. Of course, in our minds this would happen as soon as we were 18 and off to college - that's when we'd feel like adults, right? 

So, so wrong. I think I felt the least grown up during my 4 years of undergrad. 

But, fast-forward a few years and here we are, in 2015, where we find ourselves being actual adults, in the real sense of the word, not just because we're legal for everything. The point in time when you look back to the last couple of years and think, things have kind of fallen into place, haven't they? We're not finished products by any means, but I look at my friends and think about how brilliantly they are doing at this whole life business. And I look at my own life and feel a sense of excitement and fulfilment that I'd always dreamt of but was never quite sure I'd have.

So, it only made perfect sense when S said, let's start a "ladies who brunch" club! We'll try a different brunch place every month (or every other month, as I suspect our differing schedules will force it to be), and do that elusive thing we'd planned as kids. 

Our first pick was Kopapa, somewhere we thought the menu sounded interesting and was also clearly popular. The owners of the restaurant hail from New Zealand, and clearly it's not a myth that Australians & New Zealanders know how to do brunch, because it did not disappoint. 

S & E both chose Kopapa's signature dish, the Turkish Eggs. Not knowing quite what to expect, when I tried a bite I was blown away! I can't even describe it properly - the poached eggs are tucked into a magical bath of sesame oil, spices, whipped yogurt & chilli butter, and it goes perfectly with the sourdough toast. I definitely had a little food envy as it was just such an unusual dish, but I have to give much deserved praise to my choice too - chorizo hash with fried eggs, sriracha, crispy shallots & rocket. It was spicy without being overwhelming, and made this savoury breakfast lover very happy. Actually, I really want to try and recreate this at home - maybe with sweet potatoes?

The fact that they had the much talked about Crosstown Doughnuts on the menu did not escape us (and they put them out on display at the entrance as well, just to really seal the deal...), so we decided to share one and see what all the fuss was about. We settled on the salted caramel & banana one, and although it was good, it didn't wow me. I liked that it wasn't as heavy and sickly as some donuts can be, but I just wasn't that impressed... I know so many people rave about them though, so maybe I just need to try a few more flavours and I'll find one that I click with? I can eat donuts in the name of research, if that's what it takes.

 To me, it's a huge advantage that Kopapa takes reservations, but they do have a quick turnaround time of 1h 30mins per table. It was just about enough for us, but I do think that 2 hours should be the minimum. All in all though, I wouldn't hesitate to go back - it was a delicious and successful start to our brunching ladies series! 

Kopapa

32-34 Monmouth Street 

Seven Dials, Covent Garden 

London

WC2H 9HA

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e cooks :: brioche french toast

It's about time for another E cooks episode! Today, it's one of my favourite ever dishes - good old French toast. Except it's not just a piece of bread dipped in egg and milk. Of course not, this is E we are talking about! Something to know about my husband: he is an amateur chef, who takes cooking very seriously. Like, "can't make a pasta dish in less than 2 hours" seriously. What can I say? He likes to make life difficult for himself.

But who am I to complain when the result is this good? Slices of brioche, dipped in Crème Anglaise and pan fried to perfection. Not too shabby at all.

His tip for the Crème Anglaise (which is the tricky part) is to get the consistency right. You have to be patient and cook it on very low heat, and if you overcook it then it begins to separate and becomes a big fat disaster. His words. 

If you're not into this whole fancy cream thing, even just using good quality brioche instead of baguette or toast bread would make a difference - it's so decadent and buttery and completely luxurious. Pretty much perfect for this time of year!

I can attest to the fact that the extra effort will be worth it though, so if you want to take on the challenge, the recipe is below all the deliciousness. Feast your eyes on this.

Recipe from Thomas Keller's Bouchon

Ingredients {for the Crème Anglaise}

1 cup double cream

1 cup milk

7 tablespoons sugar

1 vanilla bean, split

5 large egg yolks

To make:

1. Combine cream, milk & 4 tbsp sugar in a large saucepan. Add the seeds from one half of the vanilla pod. 

2. Bring to simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove pan from heat, cover, let sit for 30 minutes.

3. Place a metal bowl in an ice bath, where the custard will go once it's ready. Reheat the cream mixture until warm.

4. Whisk the egg yolks and remaining sugar until colour lightens. Whisking constantly, gradually add the hot cream mixture into the eggs. 

5. Return mixture to saucepan, and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. If you run a finger down the back of the stirring spoon and the mixture stays put on either side of the line and doesn't run, it's the right consistency.

6. Pour the custard into the bowl in the ice bath, and let it cool, stirring occasionally.

Ingredients {for the French toast}

1 1/2 cups Crème Anglaise

4 thick (3/4 inch) slices Brioche

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Icing sugar (optional)

Berries (optional)

To make:

1. Pour the Crème Anglaise into a baking tray, deep enough for one slice of Brioche. 

2. Soak the slices on one side, and then the other. 

3. Cook over medium heat on both sides, about 4-5 minutes each.

4. Serve with fruit, jam, maple syrup, icing sugar - whatever you like.

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a healthy twist on brunch

Usually, brunch = decadent. And this brunch certainly was decadent, but it also filled us up with food that is actually good for us (mostly). Who can pull off such magic? C, the friend I can discuss chia seeds and kale and almond milk with until the cows come home (ironic). 

She prepared an impressive spread for us the other day - one that even E had to admit to enjoying, despite being adamantly against seeing anything healthy on the table when it comes to brunch (point proven). Clear winners for me were the pancakes, which didn't taste even remotely healthy but were, her homemade bread, and the kale salad. 

Here are the recipes she used:

Marinated Kale Salad from Deliciously Ella

Almond Quinoa Pumpkin Bread from Deliciously Ella

Vegan & Gluten Free Pancakes from Oh She Glows

I for one am going to try out each one of these recipes! Of course, we had to tone down the virtuous menu just a little bit, with some good old Nutella, and brioche for the boys. I also tried coconut yogurt for the first time and really liked it! It's all about balance.

With all the eating out I've been doing lately, I was definitely glad to have been able to get some homemade goodness in there somewhere, so thank you to C & J for having us over! I definitely want to get together with my girlfriends for a healthy-but-delicious brunch like this again, because what's better than eating great food and still knowing it's making our skin and hair look good? 

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brunch at dishoom

Dishoom had been on my to-try list for so long now, for their well-known brunch in particular. It just seemed that every time I remembered, it would be Saturday evening, and of course they were already booked up for Sunday brunch. This time, as we were booking a ticket for an exhibition (more on that in a couple of days, and it was an amazing one), we reserved a table for brunch well in advance and finally got to see what all the fuss was about.

We already knew what we wanted to try - their popular Naan Rolls, stuffed with your breakfast food of choice (bacon, sausage, egg). Having seen that they get their bacon from The Ginger Pig, one of the best butchers in London, we had to go for the egg & bacon. We also wanted to try out their Bombay Omelette and got a plate to share - clearly we were hungry.

Sidenote: yes, I chopped my hair off! Well, not me, but a hairdresser at Baroque which is my salon of choice (a Japanese hairdressers and they are wonderful). It was down to my waist so it's cut my blow-dry time by half, which was reason enough for a bit of a change!

Back to the food. The naan was flippin' fantastic. Neither of us could stop raving about it, and the tomato chutney that comes with it just puts it over the edge. Original yet simple, flavourful, and all about quality ingredients. We loved them. 

Unfortunately, the omelette in comparison was a let-down - it was barely seasoned, and although the eggs were clearly fresh and delicious, it was just a bit bland. I was quite full and didn't eat much of it, but E managed half of it and chomped down on a big piece of egg shell! A bit unexpected but it can happen to the best of us, and they were very apologetic about it and took the dish off our bill. The naan rolls were so good that this error was pretty easy to overlook.

We are definitely going to go back for lunch or dinner one of these days, as their main menu looks delectable. I loved the atmosphere and decor of the place too - like a Bombay brasserie with a modern and stylish twist. 

We've certainly made our way around the St. Martin's Lane/Courtyard area, having been to Jamie's Italian, Suda & Cantina Laredo. And now with Marcus Wareing's new restaurant Tredwell's, it's a real foodie's corner!

You can have a look at the menu and other details on Zomato.

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