Georgina Hayden

Feeding since 1982

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Herby omelette with crispy ham hock and spinach

11.12.2014 by georgie // Leave a Comment

Like a lot of people brunch is a big deal in our house. Weekday breakfasts are rushed and are mostly a solo affair. So Saturday morning is a special occasion, a chance to cook together, leisurely, and a sort of ‘it’s the weekend’ celebration.

We mix it up at home, but one thing is for sure it will almost always be a savoury brunch as opposed to sweet (I don’t have the sweetest tooth and I was told that starting the day with protein was the best way). Below is a classic example of a Saturday morning Hayden-house staple. If you know me you know I love anything ham-y and cheesy, so this was a winner. Pimped up with the chilli and spinach, and opting for a crumbly tangy, yet creamy Lancashire cheese, it was a strong (and awesome) start to the day.

Honeyed ham hock omelette
Herby omelette with crispy ham

 

HERBY OMELETTE WITH CRISPY HAM HOCK AND SPINACH

Serves 2

  • 5 large eggs, free range or organic
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Handful of soft herbs, washed (I used coriander and parsley)
  • 2 spring onions, finely sliced
  • 1/2 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
  • ham hock, shredded (you can use leftovers, or Waitrose sell slow cooked shredded ham hock)
  • Olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon runny honey
  • 100g baby leaf spinach, washed
  • 40g lancashire cheese (or any soft crumbly cheese)

Chop your herbs as fine as you can and place in a bowl with the eggs and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk everything together well and leave to one side.

Drizzle a little olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and place on a medium high heat. Add the  shredded ham hock, chilli and most of the spring onions and fry for around 5 minutes until everything starts to turn golden at the edges.  When the ham is starting to look crisp, drizzle in the honey and toss it all together. Give it another minute or two until it turns sticky and caramelised, and then add the spinach. Give everything a stir and cook the spinach down, this will only take a minute or two. Remove the pan from the heat and spoon the filling into a bowl. Wipe the pan out and then return to the hob. Lower the heat to medium-low and then pour in the beaten eggs. Using a spatula gently swirl the mixture around so that you ripple eggs and cook them almost all the way through. When it is almost ready spoon the ham and spinach filling down the middle of the omelette and crumble over the Lancashire cheese. Turn the heat up a little so that the underside of the omelette browns, and then using a spatula or fish slice flip it over to envelope the filling. Cut the omelette into two and dish up. Sprinkle with the remaining spring onions and extra chilli sauce, if you like.

 

Filling the omelette
Filling the omelette
Crispy ham hock and spinach omelette
Crispy ham hock and spinach herby omelette

Categories // Breakfast & brunch, Light meals, Main meals Tags // Breakfast, Cheese, Fertility, Gluten-free, Ham, Light meals, Omelette, Pregnancy, Spinach, Wheat-free

Sweet potato, chickpea and spinach soup

11.09.2014 by georgie // Leave a Comment

This bowl of goodness was created for Ma and Pa Socratous. On a recent trip up north they ate something similar and have been trying to find a recipe for it ever since. With no such luck I decided to write one for them based on what I know: that it had sweet potato, chickpeas, spinach and a generous amount of cumin. And that they both loved it. (I can only hope that this soup does the original one justice, as it is pretty rare for my folks to like the same thing!)

With its natural sweetness and creamy texture sweet potato makes a fantastic base for soups. And it works incredibly well with the rest of these ingredients creating a hearty yet wholesome soup, with a North African/ Middle Eastern feel. It’s wheat/ gluten and dairy free, and a great fertility boosting dish. Heck its a great everything boosting dish!

If you like your soup a little chunky, try mashing it with a potato masher, or only blitzing it a little.

 

Sweet potato, chickpea and spinach soup
Sweet potato, chickpea and spinach soup

 

SWEET POTATO, CHICKPEA AND SPINACH SOUP

Serves 6

  • 2 onions, peeled and chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
  • Olive oil
  • 1.5 teaspoons of ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 – 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
  • A tin of chickpeas, drained
  • A tin of reduced fat coconut milk
  • 800ml vegetable stock
  • Around 800g sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 150g spinach, washed well
  • A handful of coriander, washed
  • A juicy lemon
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place a large non-stick saucepan on a medium-low heat and add a lug of olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute for around 10 – 12 minutes until soft and sticky, but not coloured. Add the cumin, coriander and chilli and fry for a further 3-4 minutes. Pour in the stock and coconut milk, and add the chickpeas and chopped sweet potatoes. Gently bring everything to the boil, season well, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for around 15 minutes, or until your potatoes are soft and completely cooked through. Add the spinach and coriander and cook for a couple more minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and using a stick blender, blitz the soup until smooth. If the soup is a little on the thick side add a little more stock or water until you get to the texture and thickness that you like. Squeeze in the lemon juice and stir through. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve.

Categories // Light meals, Starters & sides, Vegan and Vegetarian Tags // Chickpea, Dairy-free, Fertility, Gluten-free, Middle Eastern, Nutrition, Pregnancy, Soup, Spinach, Starter, Sweet Potato, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wheat-free

Chicken Caesar on rye

11.07.2014 by georgie // 1 Comment

I love leftovers, they make my life so much easier at the moment. I am still at home a lot of the time, and as much as I am trying to look after myself and cook nice things I can’t always muster up the energy. Some days I can’t get out of bed or off the sofa. Not often, but it happens. Thats when the soup comes out, or something from the freezer that my Yiayia has made. Or, if I am really lucky, there are leftovers.

So last Sunday Pete and I treated ourselves to a homemade roast. Lemony thyme roast chicken, roast potatoes, honey glazed carrots, kale, cauliflower cheese, homemade cider gravy… the lot. Afterwards I took a lot of pride in packing up the leftovers and making stock with the chicken carcass. Normally I’d just turn the meat into a salad or broth the next day, but I’d also made a loaf of rye bread on the weekend and wanted to use that too: cue the chicken Caesar open sandwich. I had forgotten how much I loved chicken sandwiches! With shredded organic roast chicken, a delicious creamy dressing, some sort of crunchy element, what is not too like? I’d forgot the beauty of chicken Caesar too, a result of many bad pub meals with fake dressing I am sure…

So here you go, a perfect leftover lunch for one. Not too naughty and tonnes of flavour.

Open chicken caesar on rye
Open chicken caesar on rye

 

CHICKEN CAESAR ON RYE

This dressing could definitely take a fine grating of garlic, if thats your cup of tea.

Serves 1

  • A thick slice of rye, sourdough or gluten free bread
  • 80g shredded cooked chicken, preferably free range or organic
  • An anchovy
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon English mustard
  • Parmesan
  • A heaped tablespoon of Greek yoghurt
  • Half a lemon
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • A spring onion, finely sliced
  • A few sprigs of parsley, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cucumber

Using a vegetable peeler, shred the cucumber into ribbons. Place in a bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice (keeping some for the chicken) and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss together and leave to one side.

If your bread is fresh simply lay on a plate and drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil. If it is a few days old, toast it first – you could even rub the toast with the cut side of a clove of garlic for a little added flavour.

Place the anchovy in a pestle and mortar and bash to a paste with a little pinch of salt and pepper (not too much salt though as the anchovy and parmesan are already very salty). Add the mustard and yoghurt and mix together well. Then squeeze in the rest of the lemon juice and finely grate in a little parmesan (just a few gratings, you won’t need lots) and stir. Spoon the dressing over the chicken, mix it all together and then pile on top of you bread or toast. Finish with the sliced spring onion and parsley, and serve.

P1180235

Categories // Light meals, Main meals Tags // Chicken, Fertility, Gluten, Gluten-free, Mains, Pregnancy, Snack, Wheat-free

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Georgina is an award winning food writer, cook and presenter from North London.
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