Basic food

[tangofiction]

It's been a while since my last food-related post, so since I'm cooking dinner tonight, I thought I'd add a couple of recipes. Nothing fancy or particularly funky, just basic things that B and I make regularly at home.



POACHED EGG ON TOAST in three minutes flat

Okay, so how hard is it to make a poached egg? Not very. However, I've seen some really odd suggestions out there, from adding vinegar to the water to putting the egg into a little cup first to make it slide out easily -- not to mention those silly contraptions for keeping the egg in while it's being poached. To quote Mary Poppins, why complicate something that is really quite simple?

1. Pour boiling water from the kettle into a small pan set over high heat. Wait a few seconds for it to come back to a simmer, and turn the heat down to low.
2. Swirl the water with a spoon to make a whirlpool in the middle, then crack an egg into it. Voila! the egg white collects around the yolk.
3. Make toast; optionally spread with vegemite (my preference). Egg should be done when the toast is done (2 mins or so).
4. Remove egg with a slotted spoon, jiggle a bit to get rid of water, and place onto the hot toast.
5. Grind some black pepper over it and do whatever creative things you feel like doing. Usually I add a torn-up basil leaf and maybe a drop of tabasco into the yolk.
6. When eating, use your knife to cut up the egg so that the yolk goes all over the toast.

And for something completely different...

OUR VERSION OF NACHOS - non-authentic, but delicious all the same

For the sauce:
500 g lean beef mince
2 onions
1-2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
1 x 400 g can red kidney beans, drained
1 tsp salt or vegetable stock powder
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander (optional)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp chilli powder (or not...)
1 x 400 g can tomatoes or passata, or 3-5 tbsp tomato paste + 1 cup water

For the nachos:
125 g plain corn chips
1/3 cup grated cheese
1/2 avocado
2 tomatoes, diced
3-5 tbsp tomato salsa
1 cup lettuce, shredded
2 tbsp sour cream (optional)

1. In a heavy frypan, heat oil and saute onions until soft. Add mince and brown, breaking up any lumps. Add garlic and fry another few seconds, until aromatic.
2. Add the beans, tomatoes/passata, salt, spices and stir. If things are sticking, add some water (up to another cup, or more if you are prepared to wait for the sauce to reduce).
3. Simmer the sauce for as long as you can stand it. If you're hungry, it can be done in 5 mins, but the longer you cook it, the better it seems to get. Besides, you need time to cut up the vegies.
4. While the sauce is cooking, spread chips onto baking paper on a pizza tray or other oven-proof tray. Grate cheese over them and leave for now.
5. Dice tomatoes into a bowl, shred lettuce, slice avocado.
6. Put chips under the grill on medium to melt the cheese, 4-5 mins. Check regularly so that they don't burn -- this seems to happen very quickly once they get to a certain temperature, so remove as soon as they colour.
7. Meanwhile, go over the sauce with a potato masher, turning the beans into a pulp. Turn off the heat and keep the pan covered until chips are done.
8. Remove chips, pile the middle with the sauce, then tomatoes, salsa, lettuce and avocado. Sour cream can be added indivually, if needed.
9. Ta-daa! Nachos. Or something like them. :D