THE IN-BETWEENERS
RECIPE AND FOOD STYLING: VALLI LITTLE PHOTOGRAPH: BEN DEARNLEY. STYLING: VIVIEN WALSH, KRISTEN WILSON
Meatball and wild mushroom tagliatelle
Lunch on the big day hogs all the Christmas limelight, yet there are so many other days (and occasions) where you need to churn out great food and drink at this time of year. From share-over-a-game snacks to a comforting plateful to snuggle up with on the sofa alone, here are the winners
THE HIT-THE-SPOT DINNER FOR ONE
Movie, sofa, duvet, you and this guaranteed-to-please, readyin-15-minutes snack. Perfect.
Rarebit with fried egg
SERVES 1. HANDS-ON TIME 15 MIN
Rarebit with fried egg
FOOD TEAM’S TIPS
This recipe will make more onion than you need. Keep in the pickling liquid for 3-4 days and add to salads or sprinkle over spicy food.
It’s an easy recipe to double up on if there are two of you on the sofa.
• 80ml cider vinegar
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 50g extra-mature cheddar, grated
• 20ml dark ale or stout
• ¼ tsp mustard powder
• Pinch paprika
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 slice good quality bread
• Splash flavourless oil for frying
• 1 large free-range egg
• Small handful watercress
• ½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Put the vinegar, sugar and a large pinch of salt in a bowl with the onion, toss to combine and set aside. Heat the grill to medium high.
2 Mix the cheese, ale/stout, mustard powder, paprika and Worcestershire sauce together in a bowl and season to taste. Grill/toast the bread on both sides until lightly browned.
3 Spread the cheese mixture evenly onto one side of the toast. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and grill until golden and bubbling.
4 Meanwhile, heat a splash of oil in a small frying pan over a high heat and, when hot, crack in the egg and fry to your liking.
5 Drain a few of the onions (see tips), then toss with the watercress and olive oil along with some seasoning. Put the rarebit on a plate with the salad and top with the fried egg.
PER SERVING 610kcals, 34.4g fat (13.9g saturated), 28.9g protein, 42.6g carbs (19.4g sugars), 1.9g salt, 4.8g fibre
A proper cheese on toast with pickles is the ideal snack. How to improve on perfection? Stick an egg on it…