Baked Beans - Bill Granger

In an effort to have bigger and more filling breakfasts, we've been buying more baked beans. But really, making your own beans is really easy, you know exactly what goes into it and you can put some extras in that you really like! I've made baked beans before, for my Breakfast with Benefits , and they went down really well - so I thought I'd give it another go! I saw the recipe in Bill Grangers book "Everyday" and the ingredients looked delicious, so that's the recipe I followed. I realised when making it I only had one can of cannellini beans - so I used a can of chick peas instead. It's still really delicious.

I'd love you to try these, they're delicious and what an amazing start to the day, if you have a chunky piece of good sourdough, a poached egg, and these beans poured over top! A hearty breakfast like that will set you up for the day, and will make you a morning person!

Serves 6
Ingredients


1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
100g pancetta, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 anchovies, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp dried oregano
400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 x tins cannellini beans, rinsed
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper


Method


1) Preheat the oven to 160C
2) Heat the olive oil in a large flame proof casserole dish over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring for 5-6 minutes until the onion is soft.
3) Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until slightly crisp.
4) Add the garlic, anchovies, thyme, and oregano and cook, stirring for another minute.
5) Add the tomatoes, 1/2 cup of water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
6) Stir in the beans, put a lid on the casserole dish and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Breakfast Bars

A friend of mine is having a baby soon (there are so many people with babies and weddings!) and so a bunch of friends decided to make up a hamper for her... I offered to bake up a few things to put in there, considering shes going to be getting a few visitors, as well as being too knackered to do anything (even though she is a chef - it doesnt mean she can be bothered to cook with a new baby!) I decided to put, amongst other things, some breakfast bars together.

Oaty, nutty, fruity and sweet, bars like these are intended for people who need some energy and sustenance, fast!

I was leafing through Nigella Lawsons book, Express (which I picked up quite cheap from catchoftheday.com.au) and I came upon a recipe for breakfast bars, which called for things I had lurking in my cupboard already.

Ingredients

• 1 x 397g can condensed milk (really..? I just used the normal sized can. which is 395g)
  
• 250g rolled oats (not instant)
• 75g shredded coconut
• 100g dried cranberries
• 125g mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame)
• 125g natural unsalted peanuts

Ok I didnt follow the recipe exactly, as I had no shredded coconut and not that many cranberries. I get little boxes of dried fruit and nuts every week from Harvest Box  of which I often put the contents into a jar, as a result I have quite a collection of dried strips of mango, prunes, flame raisins, apricots, apples etc. So I just gathered around about 125g of mixed nuts and 150g of mixed dried fruits...

A couple of things about the recipe... You cant leave the condensed milk very long in the pan as it starts to caramalise and you get little brown flecks through the sweet viscous liquid. It turns out it doesnt really matter if it happens a little bit, but if you leave it long enough its just going to burn... this you do not want!

When the mix is in the tin to bake it is VERY sticky, try not to use your hands unless theyre greased or use a spatula or a spoon. I got it aaaaaaaall over my hands! Yummy to lick off though :D

Heres the method, as found on Nigellas website; 

Method

Makes 16

1. Preheat the oven to 130°C/gas mark 1/2, and oil a 23 x 33 x 4cm baking tin, or use a throwaway foil one.
2. Warm the condensed milk in a large pan.
3. Meanwhile, mix together all the other ingredients and then add the warmed condensed milk, using a rubber or wooden spatula to fold and distribute.
4. Spread the mixture into the tin and press down with the spatula or, better still, your hands (wearing disposable vinyl gloves to stop you sticking), to even the surface.
5. Bake for 1 hour, then remove from the oven and, after about 15 minutes, cut into four across, and four down to make 16 chunky bars. Let cool completely.

Breakfast with Benefits

Ive decided that Im going to host an event for Breakfast with Benefits, a Pink Ribbon initiative to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer. You host a breakfast wherever you like, for however many people you like, and you get your guests to donate money which goes toward breast cancer research. You can get them to donate any way you like, a gold coin/note donation, you can have games they can pay to enter, they can pay for certain dishes they'd like to eat... the sky is the limit!You sign up on their website and you can get people to donate through there as well if they'd prefer.


Im still not 100% sure how I'd like to set mine up... Im thinking about doing a set course brunch, or having a choice of breakfast tasting plates, or just having a bit of a buffet set up. I guess it depends on the amount of people I would be expecting... But I've been thinking of the dishes I could include...

Baked spiced ricotta, with natural honey and walnuts on toasted sourdough
Buttermilk pancakes with poached plums
Bagels with smoked salmon, and fresh herb scrambled eggs
Roast balsamic field mushrooms with fetta, spinach and pangratatto
Porridge with apple compote and oat crumble
Bacon and egg baguettes with tomato chutney
Grilled stone fruits with citrus mascapone
Chipolatas, bacon and homemade beans w/ toasted sourdough
Rolled oats, greek yoghurt, natural honey and fresh fruit/nuts

Fresh filter coffee
Fresh OJ
Loose leaf tea

How do those menu items sound to you guys? I wouldnt do them all, but Id choose a couple from this list! The beauty of most of these is that they can have alot of the work done in advance, or the work involved at the time, is minimal...

Id also like to get some awesome suppliers to donate some of the produce, and make up some small hampers that people can buy, including things like jams, breads, olives, eggs, wine etc. Id use as much local produce as I could, Bannister Downs milk, free range Eggs by Ellah, local honey (there are quite a few to choose from), Loafers organic bread, local meat (there are loads of great butchers in Perth! Jus head to Subiaco Farmers Market on Saturdays to see a couple!) to name but a few! Id likely get my veges from The Organic Collective who are great, and I get my weekly veges from them anyway...

I may even do it over a few days, the same thing each day but with different guests, to make it a cosy atmosphere. It would also be great to get some of the perth bloggers to come along, the whole point of the event is to raise awareness about breast cancer, and how great would it be to get the support of well known bloggers who could spread the word?!

Would love to hear your thoughts on the whole thing! Ideas, suggestions, reality checks welcome!

Here is my donations page
http://fundraise.pinkribbonbreakfast.org.au/jacqui_edwards_edwards