How do you like your eggs?
The egg: versatile, nutritious and flavoursome, all wrapped up in a beautiful package. They’re emblematic of Eastertime, but equally evocative of home comfort – wherever home may be. We asked cooks and food writers from different countries to share a favourite egg recipe. If you’re looking for a brunch dish this holiday weekend, the tricky part will be choosing one from this dazzling half-dozen
RECIPES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
UKRAINE
OLIA HERCULES, COOKBOOK AUTHOR AND CHEF
PHOTOGRAPHS MAJA SMEND FOOD STYLING CHARLIE CLAPP STYLING OLIVIA WARDLE
Ukrainians don’t do breakfast by halves. When we were shooting at my aunt’s house for my book Mamushka, my photographer Kris and I were working non-stop for four days. We felt that we were going to faint from exhaustion, so my aunt whipped up this Ukrainian village breakfast. We came straight back to life! I distinctly remember she said she used a chicken breast from a chicken she’d killed that morning. God I miss Ukraine...
Anything you fancy or that’s in season can go with these eggs, but the ingredient that makes this dish quintessentially Ukrainian is good quality lardo (pork fat). I know a lot of people are into clean eating these days, but we Ukrainians love our lardo. It envelops everything with the most wonderful porky flavour – a flavour we can’t live without.
Ukrainian village breakfast
Ukrainian village breakfast
SERVES 4. HANDS-ON TIME 20 MIN
KNOW- HOW
Lardo is an Italian cured pork fat from the back of the animal. It’s available from Italian delis and online, but if you can’t find any, duck fat or beef dripping work too.
• 50g lardo, chopped (see Know-how)
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 free-range chicken breast, thinly sliced lengthways (optional)
• 100g kale
• 4 medium free-range eggs
1 Cook the lardo in a large frying pan over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until most of the fat has been rendered (melted). Add the shallot and cook until it starts to turn golden (about 4 minutes).
2 Add the chicken (if using) and cook for 2 minutes, then add the kale and cook for another 5 minutes.