My Big Egg-venture

A travelling egg lover in search of good eggs!

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Eggcellent Eggs in Athens! A group of friends and myself were in Athens in September. It was lovely and hot as we built up our appetite by wondering the park by the Acropolis and then happily stumbled across a lovely brunch spot; The Underdog . We went down to the leafy outside seating area where it housed some shade for the non sun seekers of the group but also left space to catch the sun for the rest of us. I was so eggcited by the brunch Menu and the table mats (pictured), they were really fun to read and made choosing that bit harder as I wanted everything. I chose the eggs benedict accompanied with a good salad and a ‘detox tea’, which was pretty classic and very enjoyable, nice and yolky and eggstremely tasty! My friend got a brioche croque madame and it looked great, she loved it. So all in all we were a happy bunch, great setting, great company, great food!

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A couple of months ago I went to Greece for a week with some friends and sailed the islands just off Athens with Med Sailors. Our Captain was Emile (pictured), who was also going to be the chef for our breakfasts and lunches (this must be sounding fancy - it was!). I was slightly worried because we were not aware of what our breakfasts would be and of course I couldn’t go without eggs for a whole week! So, I took some aboard just incase. I needn’t have worried, Emile had plenty of eggs, and after hearing about my eggsession, he made a point of making eggs each morning. He mentioned he was not totally confident about cooking fried eggs for a lot of people but after a bit of cheerful encouragement he did a great job!

We had pancakes, frittata, fried eggs, scrambled eggs and french toast all eggcellently eggsecuted and made even better by the views of the beautiful Mediterranean sea and Greek Islands. Most days we would sail to a remote bay or rock and have a swim while Emile cooked up our breakfast on the boat with not the most eggccommodating kitchen and supplies!

Pure Luxury and eggstremely eggjoyable!

[mybigeggventure]

For the love of eggs! So last week was British Egg Week and World Egg Day. I'm so glad there are desegggnated days to celebrate Eggs, however I celebrate them pretty much everyday! I am now 30 years old and from as long as I can remember eggs have been in life. They were the go to meal when my mum couldn't think of anything else to cook, jazzed up for special occasions, hangover breggfasts, drunk second dinners, I have even had them as shots with friends. I was always in charge of cooking up an egg filled breakfast for my friends in my Uni days and still do on the occasions we are all together! When I was 14 my mum made a statement about how you could live off eggs as they have all the nutrients we need. For some reason I deggcided to prove her wrong, or right by actually just having eggs for a week, with nothing else...not even bread! Eggshausting all the possible variations of eggs, I survived and grew a large respect for this nutritious adaptable food choice! While travelling last year I decided to document this life long love, it fascinates me that most countries I have visited have their own way of cooking eggs. I get eggcited about what I will taste so wanted to share it through 'My Big Eggventure'. I also share when I am not away with my everyday reggcipes on Instagram; @mybigeggventure. One last thought, eggs are not just eggs, eggs are a reminder that you can be whatever you want.

[mybigeggventure]

In Paris, in a really increggible little restaurant called Eggs & Co. Cosy and quirky this restaurant was decorated with all things egg and had many different eggs on the menu. The description of baked eggs with crème fraîche didn’t tempt me quite as much as the eggs benedict, however I thought, as I was in France I would eat French eggs, so, I ordered the ‘Oeufs en cocotte with bacon’.

The staff were really friendly and had a busy restaurant to keep happy and they certainly made me happy with this dish!

The texture was slightly strange but the chewy bacon made it up for it and the flavours all mixed up together were just degglightful! Served with new potatoes and salad added a bit of fun to the taste buds and I left feeling full and very satisfied, definitely a recipe I will try again at home!

[mybigeggventure]

Barriga de freira - a Portuguese dessert made with egg yolks and almonds.

Recommended and served in a lovely authentic Portuguese restaurant in Lisbon. That small bowl was only about 2cm deep but it was the perfect amount for this rich, thick dessert. It was creamy and sweet, but not too sweet, almost like a custard with more depth and an almond, nutmeggy twist.

Eggcellent!

[mybigeggventure]

The famous Pastéis de nata - originated in Lisbon in the 18th century, convents and monasteries used large quantities of egg-whites for starching clothes, so the leftover egg yolks were used for these delights! The smell lingered outside the many Pastelerias so as you can imagine I gave in to temptation plenty of times! The photographed tarts were from Pastéis de Belem, where it all started and were definitely one of the best I tasted. Crispy puff pastry filled with a creamy vanilla-ry custard and sprinkled with cinnamon and icing sugar, truly eggceptional!

[mybigeggventure]

Farófias - a Portuguese dessert made with egg whites, sugar and condensed milk. This was the waiters recommendation from a lovely little Portuguese restaurant in Lisbon. I'm glad I took that recommendation, having had quite a heavy main meal, this sweet light concoction was wonderful! The spoon slid through these oval shaped puffs of eggcellence and melted when entering my mouth, smooth and delicious these are a must try if you ever come across them!

[mybigeggventure]

Scrumptious devils eggs! I fancied making something a little different, I hadn't had a new eggsperience in a while and as these had the potential to look good as well as taste good I couldn't resist! Also, I tend to steer clear from hard boiled eggs, so this was an excuse to try and change my mind about them! I had eggspected there to be a pickled sort of taste as the hard boiled eggs had sat in the vinegary beetroot marinade for a pretty long time, however I couldn't taste it at all, not that I would have minded if I did. The egg white was like an edible spoon to the mustard yolky filling, topped with a cut of spring onion which gave a little crunch, was a real treat to the taste buds! I'm now trying to think of what other natural coloured marinades I could make to create an array of rainbow Devils eggs!

[mybigeggventure]

Simple and so satisfying, grilled cheese and egg on toast with a splash of Worcester sauce, this eggs-ceptional snack saved me from a cold, peckish and groggy mood. I ate it and straight away wanted more, however I stopped myself as it is a bit of a naughty treat and I probably wouldn't stop at just one extra!

[mybigeggventure]

The Anchovy Omelette. Not the prettiest egg dish I've seen, but egg-straordinarily tasty. An Istanbul treat from Hayvore, a recommended restaurant in Beyoglu. After much deliberation and finally a description of what it was, I chose this delicious dish from a buffet. Quite stodgy in texture, unlike my preferred fluffy, light omelettes. It was more of a thin tortilla packed with parsley and anchovies. Some people may turn their nose up at anchovies (I don't understand why, I love them), but when paired with these ingredients they are truly egg-sceptional. They were a natural seasoning to the eggs, and added some of that stodgy texture. Definitely one to try even if you're not a fan of anchovies!

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My Big Eggventure is now on

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P.s. This picture is from when we boiled eggs on a camp fire in the Jaisalmer desert in India! They were a bit overlooked, not my favourite but with a bit of seasoning and considering the location it was a great eggsperience!!

[mybigeggventure]

Yesterday I went for a meeting, I had this for lunch; avocado, humous and a perfectly boiled egg on toast. It was wonderful. I’ve expressed my love for this combination already on my eggventure, however, this looked so pretty I had to share!

I really love eggs.

[mybigeggventure]

Last weekend I was in the delightful Istanbul, I arrived in the evening and couldn’t wait for the morning to try a traditional Turkish breakfast.

This is Menemen, a scrumptious tomatoey, green pepper and very scrambled egg dish. Enjoyed on the street in Sultanahmet, although very cold, the sun was shining and we made the most of it!

Before ordering, my friend explained the way it was made; cook chopped tomatoes, peppers and onions, then stir in some whisked eggs. I was slightly apprehensive as I thought it would basically be a tomato sauce, and when the dish came out it kind of looked like it had been regurgitated. However, when dipped with warm bread, I was pleasantly surprised. The tomato wasn’t overpowering, it was really tasty, the egg dulled down that saucey taste and some bites gave a slight crunch with the peppers.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and ordered it again the next morning from a different restaurant, unfortunately the bread wasn’t as good but the Menemen was great, I look forward to try and cook it myself soon!

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As its National Breakfast week, here is an E for Eggs, which I personally think no breakfast should be without! 

[mybigeggventure]

I just made this. It was fantastic, even if I do say so myself. Inspiration came from a brunch I went to not so long ago. Perfect for a light lunch and ooooh so tasty! The layers start with a slice of bread, spread with some homemade humous. I can't go back to shop bought humous now that I have made it, the difference in taste is incredible! The homemade guacamole tops the humous, again, you can't get better than a ripe avocado smashed up with tomato, onion and lime juice, absolutely incomparable to the blended stuff you get in the shops! Then, to the most important part; the fried egg. The edges are nice and crisp, the yolk perfectly runny. Sprinkled with some feta cheese that seasons the dish as well as some ground pepper. Eggcellent! It seems like a lot of ingredients, but the mix of textures and taste complement each other and throughout the chewing process you experience the flavour of each layer. My favourite bit was swiping a fully loaded forkful into the oozing yolk. Although I just finished this meal, my mouth is watering at the memory!

[mybigeggventure]

New Year, Same Egg! You all should know by now that I am obsessed with boiled eggs, nothing has changed with the new year in terms of my egg preference! I thought I would share how I create the perfect yolk every time! It may not seem like a hard task; to boil an egg, but so many people I know can't get it right. There are not many people I trust to make my eggs! So, for a perfectly runny soft boiled egg: • Pop your saucepan full of water on the hob. • Place your eggs carefully into bubbling boiled water and set the timer for 5 minutes. • When the beeper goes, take your eggs out and pop them in your egg cups. • If it's a small egg then crack open the top after about 20 seconds of taking it out of the water, if it is a large one I usually wait about 50 seconds until I chop that top, open and reveal the beautiful runny yolk! Sprinkle with salt and pepper et voilà!

[mybigeggventure]

Happy New Year!

2016 has already bought me Eggbert, my appropriately named egg companion. He was a New Years present from my friend Alan, who, I quote “fully supports my egg addiction”.

All the way from Japan, Eggbert’s eggventure started when he was won from a claw machine and bought safely back to his eggstremely grateful new owner.

Here's to many more Eggventures in 2016 for Eggbert and myself!