A traditional fried breakfast is well established, but after a few years of practice I think I’m inching closer to perfection.
One essential ingredient is patience.
Ingredients
- Mushrooms
- Button or chestnut mushrooms
- Dried porcini mushrooms
- Butter
- Garlic puree
- Soy sauce
- Baking soda
- Beans
- Heinz 5 beans
- Mixed herbs
- Fry
- Extra-thick bacon
- Cumberland sausages
- Black pudding
- White pudding
- Rye bread
- Scrambled eggs
- Eggs (2 per person)
- White pepper
- Fine salt
- Milk
Method
Put plates in the oven at a low temperature.
Mushrooms
Start with the mushrooms as they’ll take the longest.
Put a small amount of dried porcini mushrooms in a small saucepan with just enough boiling water to cover them. Simmer on a low heat to draw the flavour out. At the same time add a generous knob of butter, some mixed herbs, a dash of soy sauce and a squeeze of garlic puree, and mix it all.
Add a small pinch of baking soda – this will make it froth up, so be careful it doesn’t spill.
Chop the button or chestnut mushrooms into big bits (or just whole if they’re small) and add to the saucepan. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, as you cook the rest of the meal. If they get too dry, turn the heat off.
Beans
Add some mixed herbs to the beans, and mix together.
To microwave, put the beans in a microwave-safe dish and give them just long enough to warm them up. Alternatively, put the beans in a saucepan and warm them up on a low heat.
Fry
Put a wide frying pan on a medium heat with some oil. Add a little bit of hot water, then the bacon. The bacon will take time; when it’s done (or near enough), transfer it to the plates in the oven.
Add more oil and fry the sausages, black and white puddings. The sausages will take longer; don’t overcook the black or white puddings. Transfer each of them to the oven when ready.
Add more oil again, and fry the bread – one slice each. Be careful not to burn it.
Eggs
Scrambled eggs should be done last, because they need to be done quickly and served straight away.
Mix up about two eggs per person, some salt, a generous quantity of white pepper, and a dash of milk.
Get a clean pan – ideally a non-stick wok, but a frying pan would do – and put it on a high heat. Add the eggs, then keep them moving for the couple of minutes it takes to cook. Take them off sooner than you think.
Serve
Take the plates out of the oven and divide up. Don’t burn yourself.
Serve the eggs on top of the fried bread. Optionally add some black pepper onto the eggs.