Fry Ups

I'd like to call this a Saturday morning staple, but in reality we're usually still in bed by 12! I've eaten many mediocre/bad fry ups in cafes and hotels - how hard is it to get wrong? On reflection I think I'd rather stay at a good B&B without breakfast than one that specifically makes crap cooked vegan breakfasts and costs the same.

My fry ups vary each time dependent on what's available, but the absolute must is fried bread. It's got to be cooked properly too, so that it's full of flavour, crisp on the outside and soft in the middle without being overly fatty. Tofu scramble makes a regular appearance too, the recipe of which also varies each time.

As I had my camera set up in the kitchen this lunchtime; here's today's:

Fry minced garlic and sliced chestnut mushrooms in sunflower oil, then crumble smoked tofu over the top, stir and add tamari, concentrated mushroom stock, dried herbs, salt and pepper. Finally; garnish with fresh parsley before serving:

Plain tofu works too, along with other ingredients such as red/white onion, peppers, other types of mushroom and whatever dark looking sauces are in the cupboard - soya sauce, vegetarian worcester sauce etc.

Meanwhile, fry some kind of potato product (in this case hash browns, which taste nasty cooked in the oven but great fried), redwoods bacon and tomatoes in the same pan:

Add slices of decent quality fresh bread and plenty of ground sea salt. Once its soaked up the existing oil add more and turn them over - add more salt.

I'm not really a great fan of salt (I bought my current bottle of table salt in 2004), but in this case it works really well (the same applies to baked potatoes).

Always cook the fried bread last (add the others to the top of the scrambled tofu pan to keep them warm) and serve straight away with red/brown sauce and anything else you fancy. I'm not really a fan of beans but often add a sausage or two :)

Mustard Tofu & Chive Mash

I felt bad for not posting any recipes, and for eating far too much junk food. If you look really close you'll even see green bits!

This is a really simple recipe with just a few ingredients. It's basically a honey mustard sauce with agarve in place of honey. It does the trick and gives a similar overall taste.

Pasta works equally well; I just fancied mash because I've not had it in a while.

Ingredients:

• Firm Smoked Tofu
• 1 Red Onion
• 1 Clove Garlic
• 4tbsp Wholegrain Mustard
• 150ml Single Soya Cream
• 2tsp Agarve Nectar

Slice onion, mince garlic and cube tofu. I use a block of Taifun Smoked with Almonds and Sesame Seeds (Waitrose / independant health food stores).

Fry over a medium heat till the onions soften and start to caramelise. Remove from the heat, add the mustard (4 level tbsp) and stir so that everything's coated. Pour in the cream and put back on the heat.

Quite a few wholegrain mustards come with white wine as an ingredient, so its worth looking for one labelled vegan.

When the cream's been heated, add the agarve 1 tsp at a time. Taste until the balance suits your palate. Adding too much will make it oversweet and ruin the other flavours - 2 tsp is just right for me.

Allow to simmer and reduce until you've a sticky, slightly sweet sauce / coating on the tofu and onion.

Mash Ingredients:

• Potatoes
• Single Soya Cream
• Margerine
• Salt
• Chives

I didn't forget to include quantities - I just never measure them and adjust each time to taste. As a general rule: use 2 medium sized potatoes per portion.

Peel and chop, boil until done and drain. Pass once through a ricer, stir then add the other ingredients until it tastes good.

Pass through the ricer again if you can be arsed, the stir in a generous amount of chopped chives.

If you've spent too much time faffing about (taking pictures doesn't help) then transfer back to the pan and heat over a low flame.

Serve immediately.

Puy Lentils in Pear Cider

This isn't so much a recipe as a tip: Puy Lentils cooked in Perry (pear cider) are very good.

Ensure that you use real pear cider (perry) rather than apple cider with flavourings. It does work with apple cider but doesn't taste as good. When we talk about cider in the UK we always refer to what in the US is hard cider (alcoholic), as opposed to juice.

Ingredients for 2 people:

• 125g Puy Lentils
• 500ml Perry
• 125ml Soya Cream
• 200g Firm Smoked Tofu
• 1 Red Onion
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• Handful Mushrooms (optional)
• Sunflower Oil

Method:

Rinse lentils and check for grit/stones. Place in a pan, cover with perry and simmer until tender (20-30 mins). If it starts to dry out add water. Skim off any residue that collects on the surface whilst cooking. When done do not drain; instead add the cream, mix and heat through.


Whilst the lentils cook heat some oil in a pan and add the onion (diced), garlic (minced), mushrooms (chopped, if using) and tofu (sliced). We use Taifun Smoked with Almonds and Sesame Seeds, but any firm, drained smoked tofu should work. Fry for a few minutes until done.


When both are complete combine and serve immediately.