Last week I declared salad supremacy as the spring is really and truly here. Now I (and I guess a lot of cafes) have always thought that the way you turn a pile of green leaves into lunch was to add some cooked grains, pulses – or an egg. But lo and behold, eggs are bad again. Eat your scrammies every day and you up the risk of heart disease and early death!
But if you read the article through, it shows how poor old eggs ebb and flow in and out of favour with the scientists and the public. You don’t know where you stand – or do you? I think you do if – as I boringly repeat – you use your common sense and apply the rules of moderation and balance to your breakfast. Incidentally, did the research take into account the picture blurring fact that people who eat a lot of eggs might consume them in the company of the full English, which is kind of lethal regardless of the eggs it contains?
For the salads then: I can’t resist suggesting an eggy dish of smoked mackerel kedgeree which is a dish dancing between between breakfast (originally) and lunch or dinner. And whilst we’re onto smoked mackerel, which is really fabulously healthy and wonderful once you take trouble to pin bone it, here are two more salads featuring it: warm potato and mackerel or the avocado, celeriac and cucumber with mackerel combo.
Another potato salad is the pancetta and asparagus one and I’m hoping asparagus is just, just round the corner. If it’s still a bit of a wait, swap them for cucumber and add a blast of heat in the spicy bacon, potato and cucumber salad.
If you’d rather stick to chicken in your salads, there’s always chicken couscous salad, using roast leftovers or a rotisserie bird. And there is the chicken, feta and melon salad which can be made with ready-cooked chicken too, and it’s almost summery in its flavours.
For a meatless meal consider the giant couscous salad with tomatoes or the herby beetroot one; the latter will need some good crusty bread to go with it.
Finally, for Mothers or rather sons and daughters: consider making banana fritters for your Mum’s breakfast on Sunday. Or if you’re into traditional celebrations of the Mothering Sunday, here’s old fashioned simnel cake recipe, and it could be the one to do at Easter as well.
It’s not long now until fluffy chickens and hot cross buns everywhere. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter to get new recipes in your inbox.