I did in fact make them, last week. But only because a recipe for them, from a lovely reader arrived in my inbox! Thank you kind sir! Inspired, he gave the muffins a go, using a savoury muffin recipe from "The Good Taste Collection: Baking" by Anneka Manning. He vegetarianised (is that a word?) it and added the all important egg in the middle!
Inspired by my dear readers inspiration, the very next day I kicked myself up the bum (not easy) and gave it a go.
I changed the ingrediants around a bit because I didn't want to go to the supermarket. I added a zuccini for green and yum. Used veggo sausages instead of facon (you know what I mean - that smoky smelling cardboard that does actually tastes like bacon when fried in heaps of oil and chopped really small and covered with other things too). I wish I had chives as was suggested coz I just know they would work so I've included them in the recipe anyway. They took longer to cook for me than is originally suggested and I strongly suggest you line your muffin tin because I pretty much destryoed mine (the muffins not the tin) getting them out of there (hence the squished appearance in the photo!).
I love that instructions on how to boil an egg were included. For all my baking experience and prowess, I continually stuff up the simple egg boiling process. I'm so impatient I usually chuck eggs from the fridge into already boiling water which means they crack and *eurgh* leak every time. I never look at the clock and so the amount of time they have been in is a guessing game and its always pot luck if it is runny or hard. These instructions are completely new to me. If your happy with your egg boiling method, stick to it. But I have included these instructions, not because I think you're dumb, but because sometimes simple things actually are not.
I'd also like to try this with a more basic plain muffin recipe, though the grated potato does add that extra awesome hash brown breakfast element... Who knows, may be this can become a real breakfast thing for us? They are hearty, tasty and healthy (depending on how much cheese you sprinkle on top, heyhey!). Certainly one for the imaginary cafe that every one dreams of owning one day... I know I know, shut up and post the recipe already...here we go...
You need
* 1/3 cup Olive Oil
* 3 medium Potatoes
* 1 medium zuccini (courgette)
* 1 packet of Soy Bacon Substitute/ 2 veggo sausages
* 1 bunch of Chives
* 1/2 bunch of Continental Parsley
* Salt and Pepper
* 8 Free Range Eggs (make 6 of them smallies)
* 1 Cup grated chedder cheese.
* 1 packet of Soy Bacon Substitute/ 2 veggo sausages
* 1 bunch of Chives
* 1/2 bunch of Continental Parsley
* Salt and Pepper
* 8 Free Range Eggs (make 6 of them smallies)
* 1 Cup grated chedder cheese.
* 1+1/2 Cups of Plain Flour
* 3 teaspoons of Baking Powder
* 1/2 Cup of Milk
Then
1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 6 muffin tray - you know one of those huge ones for huge americano stylee muffins. Mine didn't come out easily at all so I would suggest lining each muffin 'hole' with grease proof paper. Don't be fussy about it, rustic is good.
2. Cook 4 rashers of facon OR 2 veggo sausages in a frying pan, and set aside.
3. Wash, chop the top and tail off and then coarsely grate the zuccini into a bowl. Peel 3 medium potatoes, then coarsely grate them into the bowl.
4. Sift 1.5 cups of Plain Flour into the bowl, with 3 Tsp of Baking Powder.
5. Chop up the Facon/sausages nice and small (muffin sized) and pop them in the bowl.
6. Add 1 bunch of chopped Chives, half a bunch of chopped Continental Parsley, three-quarters of a cup of grated Cheese to the Flour and stir to combine.
* 3 teaspoons of Baking Powder
* 1/2 Cup of Milk
Then
1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 6 muffin tray - you know one of those huge ones for huge americano stylee muffins. Mine didn't come out easily at all so I would suggest lining each muffin 'hole' with grease proof paper. Don't be fussy about it, rustic is good.
2. Cook 4 rashers of facon OR 2 veggo sausages in a frying pan, and set aside.
3. Wash, chop the top and tail off and then coarsely grate the zuccini into a bowl. Peel 3 medium potatoes, then coarsely grate them into the bowl.
4. Sift 1.5 cups of Plain Flour into the bowl, with 3 Tsp of Baking Powder.
5. Chop up the Facon/sausages nice and small (muffin sized) and pop them in the bowl.
6. Add 1 bunch of chopped Chives, half a bunch of chopped Continental Parsley, three-quarters of a cup of grated Cheese to the Flour and stir to combine.
7 - Hardboil 6 smaller eggs
7.1 Put 6 eggs in their shells, into a large saucepan.
7.2 Fill with water so that there's 1 inch of water above the eggs.
7.3 Place on stove over high heat and add stacks of salt, until the water tastes salty.
7.4 Put the lid on the saucepan.
7.5 Cook until water starts to boil.
7.6 Turn off the heat, but leave the saucepan on the stove for 12 minutes.
7.7 Pour out the hot water, being careful to keep the eggs safely in the pan, then fill the saucepan with cold water.
7.8 Let them sit for 2 - 3 minutes.
7.9 Remove the hardboiled eggs and crack the shells with a light tap from a spoon, then peel away the shells.
8. In a seperate bowl whisk half a cup of milk, with one third of a cup of olive oil, and the 2 (uncooked!) eggs together and add to the Potato/Flour mixture and season with Salt and Pepper. Stir it all together until combined.
9. Spoon a bit of the mixture half-filling each muffin space in the muffin pan, and then lightly press a hardboiled egg into the middle of each one. Finally fill the top half of each muffin space, making sure that the egg is completely surrounded by muffin mixture on all sides, top and bottom.
10. Sprinkle a little more grated Cheese on top of each muffin.
11. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes.
7.2 Fill with water so that there's 1 inch of water above the eggs.
7.3 Place on stove over high heat and add stacks of salt, until the water tastes salty.
7.4 Put the lid on the saucepan.
7.5 Cook until water starts to boil.
7.6 Turn off the heat, but leave the saucepan on the stove for 12 minutes.
7.7 Pour out the hot water, being careful to keep the eggs safely in the pan, then fill the saucepan with cold water.
7.8 Let them sit for 2 - 3 minutes.
7.9 Remove the hardboiled eggs and crack the shells with a light tap from a spoon, then peel away the shells.
8. In a seperate bowl whisk half a cup of milk, with one third of a cup of olive oil, and the 2 (uncooked!) eggs together and add to the Potato/Flour mixture and season with Salt and Pepper. Stir it all together until combined.
9. Spoon a bit of the mixture half-filling each muffin space in the muffin pan, and then lightly press a hardboiled egg into the middle of each one. Finally fill the top half of each muffin space, making sure that the egg is completely surrounded by muffin mixture on all sides, top and bottom.
10. Sprinkle a little more grated Cheese on top of each muffin.
11. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes.
Happy? Very.
These look awesome Soph. I'm making my first ever delicious-wedding-herbs pesto tonight which I'm a bit excited for. My hands stink like basil from happy herb picking, bit of "aromatherapy" while I bash out notes on arthritis. Hope your break is going luxuriouslylovealicious.
ReplyDeleteWow - they look amazing and super delicious!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the recipe! :)
*drool*
ReplyDeleteI gave myself a kick up the bum...I could do with learning that trick! Nice hair by the way!
ReplyDelete