I quite like sandwiches. I am a bit like my Aunt Freda in that respect. She loved sandwiches also. A sandwich is like a portable meal for one. Easy to carry from one spot to another, easy to make, and oh-so-easy to eat!! I especially love Breakfast Sandwiches, and have been known on occasion to send Todd to the local golden arches establishment at the weekend to get me an Egg McMuffin. The English muffins they use are always so soft and fresh. I have never been able to buy an English muffin that fresh from the shops. A huge part of the appeal of those breakfast sandwiches for me has always been the muffins!
I have now fallen in love with a different breakfast sandwich . . . the Breakfast Ciabatta. Its a recipe I adapted from one I found on a site called Three Many Cooks. I have always been a huge fan of Pam Anderson. I was introduced to her when I worked at the Manor. Her recipes always work. The site is a collaboration between herself and her two daughters. Clearly those acorns have not fallen very far from the proverbial tree.
This is one of those recipes which is made all the better for the quality of the ingredients you use to make it. If you use great ingredients, and put them together simply . . . you cannot lose.
One ingredient that you may not be totally familiar with is Pimenton. Pimenton is a type of smoked paprika which comes from Spain. It is one of the predominant flavourings used in a good Chorizo sausage . . . smoky, sweet, and a tiny bit spicy. I love the stuff and it works beautifully here. A very little amount goes a very long way.
I like to use fresh free range, rspca approved large eggs. The provenance of what I eat really matters to me. I like to think that the eggs I eat are from happy hens. That used to mean free range, but I now understand that what I think of as free range is not always what the supplier/farmer thinks of as free range. That's why I have added rspca approved to my requirements for eggs. I know that if they approve them, then I can be pretty sure of their humane production.
This is the time of year that fresh tomatoes are at their very best. You cannot beat the flavor of a fresh ripe tomato, with the warmth of the sun still on it's skin. Normally I would use a larger tomato for these, but today I used fresh British Tomkin tomatoes. They are so sweet and juicy. Really, the flavor of them is amazing. I have been eating them out of hand all week, like apples.
I stuck a couple in the oven with my hash brown nuggets during the last five minutes of baking to enjoy along side of my sandwich. So so so good, and I wish I had done more!
A good strong cheddar cheese. You can either use it sliced or grated. Today I grated it . . . I
The roll . . . a great, fresh store baked Ciabatta roll . . . soft and chewy at the same time, with a bit of crunch at the edges from being grilled nicely, just on the open cut sides. I spread it with a tiny bit of softened butter, but you don't have to if you don't want to. That's it . . . that's all that is in here. Simple ingredients, put together in a beautiful way. That is good cuisine at its finest!
*Breakfast Ciabatta*Serves 2Printable Recipe
I have fallen in love with these simple and yet very delicious breakfast sandwiches. Move over Mr McMuffin, there's a new kid in town and he's much, much tastier.
1 tsp light olive oil2 large free range eggsfine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper1/2 tsp smoked paprika (known as Pimenton)2 fresh ciabatta rolls, splitsoftened butter to spread4 large ripe tomato slices, sprinkled lightly with salt4 slices of strong cheddar cheese
Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once it is hot, swirl it once to coat the pan and break in the eggs into it. Break the yolks with a fork or a knife. Season with some salt and pepper and a generous sprinkle of the Pimenton. Cook until the edges are a bit ruffled and golden and the egg has begun to set. Flip over and cook the other side, seasoning with a bit more Pimenton. Set aside and keep warm.
Heat the grill/broiler on your stove/oven to high. Spread the cut sides of the ciabatta with a small portion of softened butter and pop them under the grill to toast lightly. Remove the tops and set aside. Place two slices of tomato on each bottom and cover with the sliced cheese. Pop back under the grill just to melt the cheese.
Place the bottoms onto each of two plates. Top each with one of the eggs, top side up and then cap with the toasted tops of the ciabatta rolls. Tuck in and enjoy!
The Clever Cook could add a few fresh crisp rocket/baby arugula leaves to the sandwich, which would add another fantastic layer to all of the amazing flavours going on here. I don't think there are enough words in the English Dictionary to adequately describe how very delicious these sandwiches are. They are so tasty that, here I am a few days later and I am wanting to make them all over again, and I just may well do so! Bon Appetit!
