I recently visited my friends for a girly BBQ in East Dulwich followed by a party in Clapham, London. The next morning a cooked breakfast was definitely needed so we headed out for the local cafe in hope for some headache cures.
I always feel a bit cautious of 'local cafes', I love supporting local business but the standards can vary very widely and I have had some TERRIBLE breakfasts before which only make you feel worse. Lucky for me my friend took us to "The Duck Egg Cafe" in East Dulwich where the food was absolutely spot on across the table and the staff and atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. The menu is priced according to the choice of chicken egg or duck egg and they have some great original options as well as the classics such as Eggs Benedict and a full English.
I ordered a bruschetta breakfast which was tomatoes, peppers and spring onions on toast with fried eggs and cress. It was perfect! I decided to make my own version as I haven't been able to get it out of my head since.
I personally love eating fresh, raw foods on a hangover as it is light on the stomach and fresh on the palette. I find a cooked breakfast very heavy and to often than not it has left me feeling groggy and tired.
This would be a perfect sunday brunch whether you have had a mad saturday night or not. Feel free to top this with a poached or fried egg as the yolk provides the most delicious sauce. Or swap butter beans for any bean of your choice! Simply omit the feta cheese for a delicious vegan version.
Serves 2
6-8 Cherry Tomatoes
2 Salad Tomatoes
1 Pepper or 2 Mini Peppers
2-3 Spring Onions
Bunch Basil
1/2 Can Butter Beans
1 tblspn Olive Oil
1 tspn Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 Lemon Juice
Salt and Pepper
2 Ciabatta Rolls
1 Clove Garlic
Drizzle Olive Oil
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Sprouted Seeds or Cress
1 Avocado
To prepare your veg - Halve the cherry tomatoes and slice the tomatoes into bite sized pieces. Deseed and chop the pepper. Slice the spring onions. Bash then chop/ tear the basil (I give it a squeeze in my hand to release the flavour)
Place the tomatoes, peppers, onions and beans into a bowl and add then the basil, oil, vinegar and lemon juice and mix well then add the seasoning and put to one side.
Slice the ciabatta in half and lightly toast it. Peel the garlic clove and slice it in half and then rub the cut side of the garlic all over the cut sides of the ciabatta. Place two halves of ciabatta on each plate and top with the tomato bruschetta mixture. Crumble over the feta, drizzle a tiny bit more olive oil and then add your sprouted seeds or cress.
Serve immediately so the bread is still hot with a sliced avocado half each and a liberal grind of black pepper.
