Wood fried egg

We're still working out exactly how best to cook an egg on a charcoal and wood burning grill... This is about as good as it's got so far. The trick is to sit the cut side of a log on hot coals for an hour or so until it's smouldering heavily, then flip it over and crack an egg on top.

Works pretty well... Not sure we'll be doing to order on the roof just yet though.

Autumn Blend Super Muesli - available now (finally!)

After much tweaking and tasting, the first of my limited edition range of muesli’s is now available for all those of you out there who love to eat! This one, the Autumn Blend, is inspired by the fruits and flavours of the season, with a fulfilling combination of apple, cinnamon, red raisin, and bramble, plus lots of toasty oats, nuts and seeds.

As with everything I make, taste certainly comes first, however, you might like to know that my Autumn Blend Super Muesli contains absolutely no added sugar, salt or fat, it’s wheat free, high in fibre, and chock full of vitamins and essential omega oils. The perfect breakfast for those that love to eat.

Order yourself a bag or two by email: nbalfe@gmail.com

400g = £2.50
800g = £4.50

I will either post your order out to you (postage and packaging cost tbc - I’m not quite that organised) or hand it over in person if our paths are likely to cross anytime soon.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Saint´s Week on the Sil

Semana Santa is a big deal here in Spain. Whilst some cities come to a stand still for holy processions, most people simply see it as a good excuse for a holiday. Like many others in the country, I headed for the hills, finding a rather fitting base for Saint's Week in an old church rectory, the Reitoral de Chandrexa, which sits perched on the slopes of the breath taking canyon of the Rio Sil.

The Sil carves it's way across Galicia's inland province of Ourense. This rugged, mountainous area is known as the Ribeira Sacra - one of the country´s best wine regions. As it twists and turns through the province, it creates a series of micro climates, which are perfect for Galicia's hardy and aromatic grape varietals, notably the godello and mencia. Grapes have been grown in the region for more than two thousand years, and when you consider the treacherous lengths that are gone to tend to the vnyards along the canyon, it's not hard to understand why wine making is looked upon here with divine significance.

Whilst there has been some time to visit the wineries (more on that to come), really I came here to work... The vicar has long since left the building, but the rectory is still in good use, now as a small farm and rural guest house. I arrived last week to a healthy measure of wine from the Reitoral's own vinyard, and hot empenada de cerdo – pig pasty – fresh from the oven. Each day is punctuated by the almost-regular chiming of the church bells, which ran 50-odd minutes fast, making their inaccuracy known roughly every fifteen minutes. Still, when the bells tolled three times, meaning it was sometime just after two, it was time to down tools and head to the house for a long lunch.

The cooking is distinctly Galego, but with many inventive twists. Chorizo con castañas, a dish that is typical of these particular hills, because of the abundance of chestnut trees. Lentijas con algas, lentils stewed with seaweed farmed in the shallow rias on the atlantic coast. Filloas – Galicia's version of pancakes – served with queso de pais – soft and creamy cow's milk cheese, made in the next village. Bread baked in the communal stone oven, which is shared with the surrounding households. Home-made jams, honey and juices. Cake made from a traditional recipe, served for breakfast every morning.

Pastel de Ourense

This most traditional of cakes is native to this particular corner of the Ourense province. Interestingly, it's made using a sour dough starter, meaning there's no baking soda or other rising agent. Served at breakfast time and after lunch, it's delicious as it is, but really comes into it's own when dipped into very hot coffee.

The recipe here may seem a bit loose, but that's because the landlord here at the Reitoral de Chandrexa has made it so many times, he just kind of throws it together as he goes about his other business. Be aware this is definitely one for the patient cook however, the sour dough means it takes a good half day to make.

Enough for a huge baking tray full

Make a sour dough leavan starter.

Mix with warm water.

Add half kilogram of plain flour. Form into a dough, cover, and leave to rise for five hours.

Cream half a kilogram of butter with twice that volume of sugar (about a kilogram).

Add twelve eggs, and another half kilogram of plain flour to the butter and sugar, and mix well.

Mix the butter / egg mixture together with the dough, and transfer into rectangular cake tins.

Bake in hot oven for 45 mins – an hour. At the Reitoral, they use a old fashioned wood burning stove, with a couple of large chunks of oak in the burner. If you don't have one of them, turn the dial to 180 degrees.

Remove from the oven when the top has turned golden brown and a skewer comes out clean after piercing.

Sprinkle with more sugar and leave to cool.

Serve for breakfast and after lunch with hot coffee for dipping.

Crunch time

Only two days remaining to hit the shops before the big day is upon us... But that doesn't have to mean fighting your way through the smellies section at Selfridges. As well as my Christmas Chutney, this year, I'm also filling my stockings with cereal, so to speak. My very own granola.

All the ingredients are available in supermarkets, health food shops, and lots of local convenience stores. I got mine from the very lovely Unpackaged in Clerkenwell, where you get good products, a strong dose of nostalgia (great at this time of year), and a warm sense of ethical well being all thrown in to the deal. Definitely beats braving the crowds on Oxford Street.

Christmas Granola

I used Bill Granger's recipe for cinnamon crunch muesli as the basis for this, and so far it's worked out really well. Aside from the cranberries the key addition is candied clementines. You might be able to buy these in some shops, but even if not, they're simple to make, although you need to do so in advance. If you make extra, you can use them to infuse cream for home-made truffles, decorate cakes or tarts, dip in chocolate as festive treats, or just hang them on your tree.

All the rich flavours of the dried fruit, nuts and spices make this granola great sprinkled over yogurt, poached fruits, or even ice cream, although unless you wake up very hungry - unlikely at this time of year - you'll do well to manage a whole bowl full for breakfast. As with many of these seasonal recipes, it also fills the house with wonderful scents of Christmas as you're baking...

Makes enough for 15 or more small servings

For the candied clementines
100g caster sugar
2 clementines, cut into thin (3mm) slices
a handful cloves

For the granola
125g unsalted butter
40g dark brown sugar
2 tsp honey
2 tsp cinnamon
half a nutmeg, grated
300g rolled oats
a handful flaked almonds
a handful pumpkin seeds
150g mixed nuts - brazils, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc, roughly chopped
75g dried cranberries
75g dried sultanas

First, make the candied clementine; ideally you want to leave these to dry out over night, so do this the day before if you remember. Make a stock syrup by dissolving the sugar in enough water to cover by twice the volume, and bring to the boil. I also added half a dozen cloves to infuse as it was heating. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Slice your clementines, removing any pips as you go. Remove from the heat, and add the orange slices to your syrup, and leave them to soak for ten minutes. Preheat the oven to 50 degrees C.

Remove, and place on a baking tray, lined with baking parchment. Stud a few cloves in each slice, then leave to dry out in the oven for a good few hours, as long as you can really. Switch the oven off, and leave it over night. Remove the cloves, and cut each slice into four or more pieces.

Pre heat the oven to 160 degrees C. Melt the butter, sugar, honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large pan. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat, and add the oats, seeds, almond flakes and nuts. Stir well so everything is coated with a slight gloss from the butter.

Transfer to a baking try lined with parchment, and spread out evenly. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, stirring once or twice, and checking it's doneness as you go. When it starts the oats start to go golden brown, it's ready. Remove from the oven, stir in the clementine pieces, cranberries and sultanas, and leave to cool completely before storing. It'll keep in an air tight container for a good couple of weeks.

Fish run

What better way to spend the early hours of Wednesday morning than a dawn ride to Billingsgate Market with the boys and our bikes...

Billingsgate at 6am, after a five mile pelt through the East End of London. Teas for 50p in a polystyrene cup await... And then it's down to business in the market.

Bargains. They were this [***stretches arms out wide***] big.

Wheeling and dealing. Probably not your average market goers...


Decisions, decisions...

Alfred Endeby's smoked fish selection. Including our breakfast to be.

Our morning's work is done... Back to the Cosmic Loft!

The twilight haul. A box of smoked haddock, mussels, smoked salmon, and sea bass.

Breakfast: Poached smoked haddock, scrambled eggs with creme fraiche and chives, roast tomatoes, Irish soda bread, coffee, orange juice.

The Billingsgate bicycle boys and their breakfast. Good way to start the day...

Ricotta hot cakes

Sometimes it's nice to put a bit of effort into breakfast... And this is a good one for a special occasion - Bill Granger's ricotta hot cakes...

I first had these on the last day of a trip to Australia, at the excellent Sydney cafe, Bill's. It's feels like quite a decadent breakfast, and they definitely look pretty impressive, covered in fruit or syrup, but the light, open texture, means they don't slow you down too much for the rest of the morning.

At Bill's cafe, they are served with banana and honeycomb butter, which is very, very tasty, but the honeycomb takes a while to make, and seems a bit more indulgent than just using fruit. Having said that, as well as strawberries, I made a cheats version of blueberry sauce, using some jam, some berries, icing sugar and water, so I suppose mine still had a fair sugar kick. But I did throw in a couple of handfuls of rolled oats to make it (seem) a little healthier.

It seems like there are a few steps involved in this, but it's not that much effort really, and your breakfast companion(s) will certainly be impressed... Have a go.

Serves 4.
For the hot cakes:
225g ricotta
170ml milk
4 eggs, separated
140g plain flower
1 tsp baking powder
2 handfuls of rolled oats
a pinch of salt
a few small knobs of butter
For the blueberry sauce:
a punett of blue berries
2-3 tsps of strawberry or blackberry jam
1 tsp icing sugar
a splash of water

To serve:
Strawberries or seasonal fruit

Method:
Whisk the egg whites so they form stiff peaks.
Mix the egg yolks, ricotta and milk together in a mixing bowl, and then sift in the flour, baking powder and pinch of salt. Stir in the oats if you're using them. Fold the egg whites into the other flour and ricotta mixture, so it's just combined.

Put a small pan on a medium heat, and add the jam, blueberries, water and icing sugar, and bring to the boil. Turn the heat right down then leave to simmer until the berries have softened and the liquid has reduced slightly.

Heat a frying pan on a medium heat, and grease with a small knob of butter. Add the hot cake batter a spoonful or so at a time, and cook in batches.

The hot cakes will take about 3-4 minutes on each side, but you'll know when they're ready to be flipped because they'll come away from the bottom of the pan. Flip them and cook for another few minutes. Breakfast, Sydney style...