Recipes to honour St Brigid this bank holiday weekend
Spicy Baked Eggs by Di Curtin
THE first day of spring has officially arrived.
Ingredients (Serves 4)
1 tbsp olive oil
4 thin slices Chorizo, torn
Pinch of dried chilli flakes
400mls rustic Italian atta
Handful of baby spinach leaves, washed and shaken dry
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 fresh free range eggs
2 tbsp grated mature cheddar
- Heat the oil in a pan and fry the chorizo and chilli and cook for a couple of minutes to crisp.
- Add the atta and bring to bubbling.
- Simmer for a few moments, then stir in the spinach. Season.
- Spoon into four little serving dishes or ramekins arranged on a baking tray.
- Crack the eggs into a cup, one at a time, and pour over the tomato mix in the dishes.
- Sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake in a pre-heated oven, gas 4 180C 450F for about 5-8 minutes or until the eggs are just set.
- Sprinkle with extra grated cheese to serve.
Serves 4-6 )
150g plain flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
200g best quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
100g butter
3 large fresh free range eggs
200g golden caster sugar
4 tbsp chocolate chips
- Line the base of a shallow non-stick square or oblong baking tin with baking parchment.
- Sift the flour and cocoa powder together and reserve.
- Melt chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of hot water, stirring smooth. Alternatively, do this in a microwave in short blasts, keeping an eye and stirring in between. Leave to cool but still soft.
- Beat eggs with sugar till pale and thick. Carefully fold the melted chocolate mix into eggs evenly.
- Fold the flour and cocoa mix into the egg mix to combine evenly, then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Spoon mix into tray and tap to knock out air bubbles. Make sure the surface is even.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven, Gas 4 350F 180C (160c fan assisted) until top has a crispy crust and the sides begin to come away from the tin.
- Leave to cool slightly in the tin before cutting and serving warm, or leave to cool completely before cutting.
For those who laid off the booze for January, you’ll be happy to know Saint Brigid is also associated with breweries! Her saintly acts are said to have included transforming ordinary water into beer for a group of thirsty lepers. She is also believed to have converted dirty bathwater to beer for a group of priests. So it would be churlish not to recommend a few beers on her feast day! Whether you feel like drinking beer with this brunch dish is another matter. But a few bottles in the fridge for a long weekend is always a good idea. I’m going for an Irish brewed craft beer from Co. Louth. Brown Bear Gluten Free Lager is a fresh, crisp lager made in the classic Pilsner style. Lively and zesty, this is made from malted barley, hops and yeast, to give good depth of malty flavour. Great news that its gluten free too. Chill it down for a couple of hours in the fridge. It will be a good match for the spicy chorizo tastes in the baked eggs. Also good with a weekend curry or just as a sip while you’re watching some bank holiday telly. Find Brown Bear Gluten Free Lager in Aldi stores, where a 500mls bottle comes in at just €1.99. That’s gotta be good value!
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