Bonnie Wong’s beautiful illustration, The Festive Pantry, reminds us to ‘take what we need’ from this special time of year – and a good breakfast may well be on that list!

It’s really only within the past few decades in Aotearoa that breakfast on Christmas morning has become ‘a thing’, and while we’re all for breakfast being something to make a song and dance about, we don’t reckon that means it needs to be complicated. Just taking a few good, honest ingredients and doing something simple makes for a special festive breakfast. Read on for the Hangtown Fry – a good example of three good things used judiciously. Save room in your morning appetite for egg nog, too – we look at a few twists to bring the classic into the 21st Century.

Hangtown Fry

The phrase ‘California cuisine’ today conjures up images of farm to table produce and light, zesty fare. But appetite, and supplies, were somewhat different in the gold rush days, and one of the first dishes considered Californian, Hangtown Fry is a rather more hearty affair. 

There are plenty of stories that speak to the origin of the dish. One goes that it was concocted  in the mid 19th century in the saloon of the El Dorado Hotel in Hangtown, where a fortunate prospector asked for the most expensive meal in the house. The cook’s answer was to throw together the priciest ingredients at the time: eggs, bacon, and oysters – hence this surf ‘n’ turf take on an omelette was born. 

Whatever the exact origin, the Hangtown Fry makes an epic festive breakfast! Yes, it’s breakfast time, but it’s also Christmastime, and this goes very nicely with Champagne… after all, oysters and bubbles are the classic pair – but it’s equally brilliant with a lovely rich beer like a milk stout… one for you, one for Santa.

First, cook your bacon – we reckon this omelette is best when you’ve fried bacon in a good heavy pan to crisp perfection first, and it’s set aside ready to work it’s umami magic late in the piece – plus save some crisp bacon to garnish the omelette. The lightly floured oysters go into the pan with the remaining bacon fat before the whisked eggs, turned once or twice so that they get a nice crisp jacket on them before the silky eggs come along and bind them together. We quite like this Saveur recipe for its simplicity… or follow Bon Appeit’s lead for a more elaborate affair. To really bring it up a notch, slice one Freedom Farms Smoked Pork Chorizo and add that in. 

Use your nog

This holiday season egg-happy classic makes a hearty and boozy liquid brekkie, but it’s also a fantastic addition to many dishes. Bathe thick slices of bread in it to make French Toast, use it place of frothed milk in your latte, cook a bread and butter pudding with it (even better, a croissant pudding to use up pastries before they go stale).

Take a classic eggnog recipe and roll with it – or try all sorts of interesting twists to make it your own. 

• Try a pinch of ground cardamom seeds and a touch of rosewater to bring a Middle Eatern flavour. 

• Rum, brandy, or bourbon are the fav tipples to fortify egg nog with, but don’t limit yourself to the big three – experiment with additions of Frangelico, Cointreau, or white chocolate liqueur.

• Look to the Dutch masters and opt for advocaat, Holland’s custardy answer to egg nog – dessert for breakfast sounds fine to us.

• Or channel a Puerto Rican vibe with coconut and rum-soaked coquito.

• Add the flavours of gingerbread to take your egg nog to fully festive heights. 

A note on food safety

Egg nog is chocka with raw eggs. In some countries raw eggs are a flat no. New Zealand has been fortunate in that up till recently salmonella had not been detected in laying hens in our country – but the lucky spell was broken earlier this year. However, subsequent testing has shown the industry should soon be able to reclaim our salmonella-free status – and Freedom Farmed free range eggs have not been affected at any point – but we’d always advise the usual caution: ensuring eggshells are clean, refrigerating eggs straight after purchase, and young children, pregnant women, and those with a compromised immune system avoiding raw egg consumption. 

Oh, did we mention that egg nog is arguably spiked with enough booze that if bacteria were present, they’d be slayed? If you’re worried… you could have a go at this home method for pasteurising eggs – could make for a fun spot of kitchen science, anyway!

This is the last edition of The Breakfast Club from Freedom Farms for 2021… but if you subscribe to The Omnivore, you’ll get one last dispatch from us later on this week too. Thanks for being part of our community this year – we know your inbox can be a cluttered space, and it means a lot that you invite us back each month.

This year has been a weird and often lumpy ride. We’re borrowing the sentiments of The Guardian’s Civil Disobedience Penguins when we suggest that you don’t spend too much of your Christmas festivities arguing with people who don’t believe in vaccines or climate change – spend some time sitting at the kids table and enjoying their views on the world instead. It’s more fun that way.

Take care and meri kirihimete!

Love,
All of us at Freedom Farms x

Here’s the thing – tart needn’t be fancy: make your own pastry if you like, but bought pastry is just as good; all you need to remember is to take it out of the freezer a wee bit in advance to defrost on the bench and you’re good to go!

Tomatoes are coming into season and there’s not much we love more than a really good tomato paired with Freedom Farms bacon – both have umami characteristics; they play very well together.  

Savoury Breakfast Tart

Serves 4

1 savoury short pastry sheet, defrosted
½ cup balsamic onion relish (or use caramelised onions) 
125g tomatoes, sliced (we used a mix of cherry and larger red tomatoes from Curious Croppers)
4 slices Freedom Farms shoulder bacon, sliced into long strips
5-6 Freedom Farms size M eggs 
Handful or two fresh herbs, chopped (parsley, lovage, sage, thyme, oregano)
1 clove garlic, peeled
½ cup creme fraiche

Heat oven to 180℃. 

Line a shallow baking dish or tray (30x20cm) with baking paper and cover the base and 1 inch up the sides with pastry. Lay a sheet of baking paper on top of the pastry, spread out ceramic baking balls and blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes.

Remove the baking balls and top sheet of baking paper. Spread onion jam evenly across the base, and arrange most of the tomato slices on top (save some for serving). One by one crack eggs into a small bowl and tip onto the tart so they’re fairly evenly placed across it. Lay strips of bacon as you like on top. Grind over black pepper and sprinkle over a little flaky salt.

Bake for 20-25 mins until the bacon is crisping, egg is cooked, and pastry is golden at the edges. 

Meanwhile blitz herbs, garlic clove, and creme fraiche in a food processor till herbs are finely chopped and it’s combined well.

Top cooked tart with slices of raw tomato and dollops of herb cream.

Notes:

• Freedom Farms shoulder bacon is our pick for pies and tarts: big meaty flavour, easily sliced, and a nice edge of fat to keep things juicy. 

• Puff pastry works fine here too – skip the blind baking step if using it.

• Switch out the onion jam for kasundi, pesto, sauteed spinach or kale, olive tapenade, or simple handfuls of grated cheese depending on your mood. 

• Any leftover herb cream is great as a dip or topping for so many dishes. If you don’t have creme fraiche, sour cream works well too.

• Of course, this tart isn’t only great at breakfast – it’s perfect picnic or casual dinner fodder, too.

Get Smashed

We’re talking neither avocado nor alcohol here, but rather a look at how great smashed legumes on toast are! Whether it’s fresh broad beans (in the midst of their short season right now – get in there real quick!) or frozen, or fresh or frozen peas, or even shelled edamame beans (find them in the freezer section at Farro, Moore Wilson’s, Asian grocers) – they make for a vibrant coloured toast topping that welcomes many variations. 

Cooking the legumes well to start with helps retain sweet flavour. Peas and edamame beans just need a few minutes in boiling water before being refreshed in ice water. For broad beans, take them out of their outer pod, blanch for a scant few minutes in boiling water, then refresh in ice water. Then – a vital step if you like a clean, sweet flavour and tender texture – make a nick in the outside of each bean and remove the coat to pop out the bright green bean inside – you only want to use those inner beans. 

Using a mortar and pestle or with a few brief pulses in a food processor, smash the beans or peas with something creamy – that might be feta, creme fraiche, sour cream, avocado, or a thick coconut yoghurt for a dairy-free version. Season with salt and pepper. Pile generously onto thick slices of toast (a good crusty sourdough, or a heavy seeded bread is good here), top with a poached egg and a scattering of baby mint leaves or other fresh herbs for a beautiful breakfast. 

That’s a simple version… here are some ways to jazz it up:

• After blitzing, stir through some toasted sliced almonds or pine nuts.

• Spike with some finely chopped fresh or pickled jalapeños.

• Go to town with sprinkles on top: dukkah, za’atar, togarashi, hemp seeds, toasted sesame seeds and pomegranate arils all work well.

• Include some finely diced shallot or onion in the mix for a sharper bite.

• Add a layer of grilled Freedom Farms streaky bacon, or sliced and browned Freedom Farms smoked pork chorizo. 

• Add some blanched and diced asparagus or kale – it adds another verdant tone to the legumes (read more below about why we should be eating more asparagus!)

• A good crisp chilli oil (we’re fans of Good Chow’s) is a nice top dollop. 

Spear a Thought

Aotearoa’s asparagus farmers are having an annus horribilis. With restaurants in Auckland and Waikato not operating for months at a time, and exports having dried up, much of this year’s crop will be left unpicked and farmers will be hit hard financially. 

We can each help in one delicious way– by buying and eating as much of the good green stuff as we can while it’s still around. Here are some of our favourite ways to enjoy asparagus at breakfast and brunch time:

• Blanched and lightly seasoned, as dippers for soft-boiled eggs

• Baked into quiche with diced diced Freedom Farms rindless middle bacon, whisked Freedom Farms eggs, and lashings of grated gruyere

• Blanched and folded into savoury crepes or buckwheat galettes with caramelised onions and blue cheese

• Blanched and diced and cooked in a skillet frittata with Freedom Farms eggs and piles of fragrant fresh herbs like dill , lovage, and basil. 

• Bundles of oiled asparagus spears wrapped in Freedom Farms streaky bacon and cooked under the grill till crisping, and served topped with poached eggs.

• Blanched and finely diced, combined with Freedom Farms eggs, a little flour, creamy feta, dill, and lemon zest and made into crisp fritters

That’s all from us this week! Stay safe, and be nice to each other. Don’t forget to share The Breakfast Club with other foodies in your life. See you again soon 👋

There’s certainly reason to feel optimistic, with much of Aotearoa moving down alert levels this week. Many of our favourite cafes are reopening for dine-in custom, and many are desperately needing some love – if you’re in a part of the country that’s in level 2, go forth and enjoy that breakfast out there in the world! Eggs cooked to your liking...an extra side of bacon… toast that didn’t jam in the slots and fill the kitchen with an acrid burning aroma... Hollandaise that didn’t break you! 

Over a third of the population will be watching wistfully while we patiently await what we are confident will be our turn, soon. With that in mind we’ve put together a stack of hot tips for bringing some of the cafe vibe home.

Nail those eggs… You’d rarely if ever find a dud egg on your plate at your favourite cafe – they’re turning out hundreds of them every day – obviously, practice makes perfect, and now’s a great time to practice! Whether your favourite is poached, fried, scrambled, or boiled – research and experiment with methods till you find what works best for you. (Heads up, we recently shone a light on scrambled eggs, and got Peter Gordon to share his go to.)

Cook your bacon with love and attention… again, try different methods and roll with what you like best. We reckon Freedom Farms Streaky Bacon is best cooked under the grill in the oven for only about 3 mins each side, to crisp up the fat to glorious gold. Our Middle, Shoulder, Rindless Eye, and Rindless Middle bacons do very well in a pan – you want the heat just right, too hot and the juices run for the hills. Start your rashers on a low heat and work up to medium-high for the win!

Go all-in… if you’re going to put the time in to cooking a delicious breakfast, go large! Don’t stop at bacon and eggs… you need sausages, too – Freedom Farms Breakfast Sausages are an obvious choice but our Classic Pork also go down a treat, and we love the smoky, tangy addition of our Smoked Pork Chorizo, sliced and sizzled briefly… don’t throw away the vibrant, flavour-filled oil it leaves behind in the pan… fry your eggs in that! And your mushrooms, tomatoes, and cubes of leftover roast potato – yes indeed. 

Don’t skimp… use butter and cream with abandon, just like your cafe chef does. 

Ready your reading material… the rustle of newspaper pages turning certainly adds to the cafe experience. Pop to the shop and pick up the paper – if you’re not already a subscriber. Ditto your favourite magazines – one great thing to come out of 2020 was the proliferation of local magazines, often by small independent publishers. If you can subscribe, we can vouch for the arrival of the daily paper, and regular magazines, as one of the saving graces of lockdown! If you’re more of a digital subscriptions fan, mind those greasy fingers!

Sweet sounds… The soundtrack chugging along in the background may be one of the less apparent reasons you love your favourite cafe – replicate it by putting together a playlist of the same kind of tunes, or try getting in touch with the cafe via social media and asking if they can reveal any of their aural secrets. Another idea is to try and bring the entire soundscape of a cafe into your living space… Google search ‘cafe sounds’ and you’ll find a plethora of long clips of ambient cafe sounds … yep, the internet has the answer to everything!

DIY… the next best thing to a barista made coffee is following Sam Low’s guide to making great coffee at home. 

Lemony Sour Cream Biscuits

Okay, okay, we’re not about to start sneaking biscuit recipes into every edition of our breakfast newsletter… we have morning decorum to uphold! But just let us explain that with their chewy-on-the-outside, cakey-in-the-middle texture, and uplifting note of lemon, they’re really quite perfect for cutlery-free breakfasting, along with a cup of tea (we would recommend a bone china cup, and Earl Grey… the bergamot jams along with the lemon in the biscuit wonderfully). 

We have the Instagram feed of Lucy Corry (@thekitchenmaid) to thank for rediscovering this biscuit – she recently posted an old fave inspired by a recipe book published a decade ago, Little Kitchen Around the World by Sabrina Perrini. It reminded us that we were big fans of that book when it was released; the ‘Lemon biscotti’ recipe therein became a go-to for getting the kids apronned up. Corry’s post was a well-timed reminder, what with the backyard lemon tree still dripping in gold. Here’s our version, slightly tweaked. 

Ingredients

130g butter
2 ½ cups flour 
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¾ cup caster sugar
Zest 1 medium lemon
150g sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
⅓ cup golden icing sugar (or plain icing sugar)

Method

1/ In a saucepan melt the butter then set aside to cool slightly. 

2/ Sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, lemon zest, sour cream, vanilla, egg and egg yolk, and melted butter and stir to combine – the mixture will be quite firm. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 20 mins. 

3/ Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200℃ and line two trays with baking paper. 

4/ Sift the icing sugar onto a plate. 

5/ Roll tablespoons of chilled dough into balls and set aside, then once all the dough is used, roll each ball in icing sugar to coat well. Place coated balls of dough on trays, allowing 5cm in between as they spread a little during cooking. Work quite quickly to prevent the dough warming up, and the icing sugar being absorbed. 

6/ Bake for around 12 minutes, rotating the trays after 8 mins, until biscuits are lightly golden on top. Cool on trays until you can handle them, then cool completely on a wire rack. 

YUM!

If you’re not familiar with Freedom Farms… we’re a 100% NZ-owned company that set out over a decade ago to bring you bacon farmed the Freedom way… from NZ farmers who care about the same things we do. Simply put, that is farming that is kinder for farm animals, and takes it easy on the environment. When you buy our bacon, eggs, pork, sausages and ham you are supporting a wonderful little group of NZ farmers… and for that we’re really really grateful!

That’s all from us… fingers crossed this will be our last newsletter from level 4! Stay safe, and be nice to each other. If you feel so inclined, please share The Breakfast Club with other people who like breakfast. See you again soon 👋

Ata mārie lockdown whānau!

Well, we’re back here again. It’s not all bad – massive socially-distanced non-contact *high fives* to the people getting tested so we’re sure we’re not staring down the barrel of widespread silent community transmission.

You don’t need us to tell you that the novelty has worn off though… there’s plenty of uncertainty and I know that lots of us are thinking about the communities around us… what this means for our favourite hospo businesses, the pressure on essential workers and how we keep out kids learning and engaged at home… all big tricky challenges.

But, experience tells us that playing our part works. If we do this right, it’s short and sharp and we can get back to normal ASAP.

While we’re all muddling around at home for a few days, we thought a few tips and ideas on egg-based eating might help inspire some good meals. Read on for Peter Gordon’s guide to a good scramble, and some hugely customisable eggy bread ideas!

We’ve also tucked in wee list of things that help keep our spirits high… it’s good to have a few ideas to break up the inevitable doom-scrolling that happens in lockdowns.

Take care everyone – we’ve got this.

Hilary, Anna, Gregor and Cameron

If you’re not familiar with Freedom Farms… we’re a 100% NZ-owned company that set out over a decade ago to bring you bacon farmed the Freedom way… from NZ farmers who care about the same things we do. Simply put, that is farming that is kinder for farm animals, and takes it easy on the environment. When you buy our bacon, eggs, pork, sausages and ham you are supporting a wonderful little group of NZ farmers… and for that we’re really really grateful!

Playing Scramble

Scrambled eggs – silky eggs seasoned just-so, served with a side of hot, buttered toast… Could be simpler! Or could it? While it’s not hard to put a decent plate of scrambled eggs on the table in very little time, a wee moment pondering the details can make a big difference. Minor variations in the ingredients and method can make all the difference to settling on perfect scrambled eggs… and by perfect, we mean a style that suits you – people have different preferences. 

Chef and owner of Auckland’s Homeland Peter Gordon knows how to cook an egg. Homeland is a hugely popular brunch spot, and showcases a wide range of food producers from around Aotearoa and the Pacific. We’re particularly partial to the creamed Chatham Islands pāua on toast – just wonderful. Peter has shared his go-to method for making scrambled eggs here, and as you can see he’s a proponent of the gentle-gentle approach and there’ll be no gumboot brekkie here – he recommends keeping the eggs over the heat until 70% cooked – residual heat will continue to cook the eggs once they’re off the stove. 

“I beat up a few eggs with more cream than you’d think you should have  – around a quarter of a cup”, says Gordon. “Heat up butter until it turns golden in a pan, add a slosh of extra virgin olive oil and a good pinch of Aleppo chilli flakes, then the eggs, and gently stir until 70% cooked. Add flaky salt and serve on toast.”

The Kitchn’s Ann Taylor Pittman has done the hard yards for us, with a useful write up of seven methods of cooking scrambled eggs… TL;DR? Taylor Pittman concludes that a ‘starting from cold’ approach results in the most evenly creamy, dreamy result. Beat your eggs, a little milk and a pinch of Kosher salt together with a fork, pour into a cold pan with a wodge of butter, heat to low-medium and gently push the eggs round the pan with a silicone spatula until almost done – before turning off the stove and letting residual heat continue to cook them. 

Simple scrambled eggs on generously buttered toast must be one of life’s great pleasures, but consider, too, the many delicious dishes scrambled eggs can lend themselves to: 

• Rolled up in breakfast burritos with grated cheddar, crisp bacon, sliced avocado, and a peppy salsa.  

• Served on top of steamed short-grain rice with a pinch of kimchi, and seasoned roasted nori squares to scoop up each bite (a fave Korean breakfast).

• Stuff them between halves of a scone, with diced Freedom Farms Smoked Pork Chorizo, a handful of rocket, and crumbled sheep’s feta. 

• Cut an avocado in half, remove the stone, and carefully scoop out the flesh so you have two ‘cups’. Fill the hollows with scrambled eggs and top with crispy grilled Freedom Farms Streaky Bacon, watercress, and a sprinkling of Hawke’s Bay Harvest to Hand hemp hearts. 

• Roll them up in a sheet of flaky butter pastry, with caramelised onion, Freedom Farms Shaved Manuka Ham, and grated gouda, sliced into 3-4cm wide pieces, place on a lined baking tray and bake at 180℃ until pastry is cooked and golden. 

Lucky Dip

Bread dipped in beaten eggs, with or without the addition of milk or cream, sugar, and cinnamon – then fried until crisp and golden on the outside and silky in the middle. It’s a dish that goes by many names...we tend to go with French toast here in Aotearoa, while the Brits might call it eggy bread or gypsy toast. In Spain, torrejas is the term, and depending on who’s cooking the bread might be dipped in sweet wine rather than milk (okay, it’s more a dessert dish there, but Spaniards are not averse to a glass of red at breakfast time, just saying... ). Next time you’re in Madrid (!) we recommend a visit to La Casa de Las Torrijas to sample their speciality). But perhaps the most charming is its French name, pain perdu, which translates as lost bread – a nod to the fact it was traditionally made with stale bread that might otherwise go to waste. 

Play around with base ingredients and flavour variations to put your stamp on French toast:

• Try different breads – brioche makes an ultra-decadent French toast as it already has butter and eggs in it! Sourdough holds up really well and is great for either savoury, or not overly sweet takes. A day-old baguette gets a new lease of life this way, as do any old rolls or buns that are past sando-stage.

• Sweet versions can take a range of spices (cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg all work well), vanilla extract, orange blossom or rose water, citrus juice and zest – or even spirits and liqueurs like Cointreau, whisky, or Bailey’s. And while sweet notes are arguably best drizzled on after plating, you can also add them to the batter – maple syrup, honey, date syrup or coconut nectar. The classic icing sugar dusted on afterwards is always a pretty finish, too. 

• Make the batter savoury, seasoning with a little salt and pepper and considering additions like finely grated parmesan, paprika, chilli flakes, zaatar to add interest. 

Keep ‘em happy

Our eggs are fine stored at room temperature until the date on the carton, but keeping them in the fridge will extend their lives. The egg-storing doo-dacky in your fridge door might seem practical but the door of the fridge gets exposed to room temperature far more readily than the inside shelves, so you’re better off keeping your eggs on the middle shelf in your fridge. Eggshell is porous… store eggs in the carton they came in, and away from any pungent food. Unless you happen to have a fresh truffle hanging around in which case, store your eggs in a container with that nugget of black gold, and you’ll have truffle-infused eggs on the menu in no time!

Take eggs out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature before cooking with them, especially when baking. 

Things to watch…

1/ Ted Lasso on Apple+ was an unexpected delight of 2020 – laugh out loud funny and the added bonus of zero mentions of Covid!

2/ We wouldn’t consider ourselves big Jeremy Clarkson fans… but Clarkson’s Farm is an endearing insight into what happens when someone who thinks they know a lot about everything tries to be a farmer… it doesn’t as planned. Some good laughs but also an eye opener if you’re not familiar with farm life. Find it on Amazon Prime.

3/ The Panthers and One Lane Bridge. Proof we don’t need huge international studios to make excellent drama. (Also, we’re not sure LoTR will ever look as good without NZ’s landscape as a setting… rural British landscapes seem a bit… flat?)

Things to eat…

1/ We’re counting on this lockdown not going on long enough to restart a sourdough starter… so we’re pretty excited about getting into this Shockingly Easy No Knead Foccacia for some ham sandos this week.

2/ We usually have a pork shoulder knocking around in our freezer… this is the week to thaw it out and slow roast it… the house will smell amazing and it’ll give you a few meals worth of deliciousness… our go-tos are this Momofuku Bossam recipe or this Mojo Cuban concoction.

3/ Bacon Vinaigrette is an excellent way to salvage those slightly sad looking greens in your fridge – top with a poached egg for an easy lockdown lunch. Cut six rashers of Freedom Farms streaky bacon into 2cm strips. Thinly slice one small red onion. Cook bacon in pan over medium heat for 4-5mins. Add red onion and 1/2 tsp pepper and continue to cook until onions are soft and bacon is crispy, about 3 mins. Remove pan from heat and deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, using a spatula to scrape yummy bits from the bottom of the pan. Add 2Tbsp of Sweet Sting Hot Honey (or a regular honey, if you prefer no heat). Allow to cool slightly, then use to dress your greens. We like a mix of cos, baby bok choy and watercress, with a big handful of herbs from the garden. Top with a poached egg and serve with crusty bread to mop your plate. Serves 2.

Things to read…

1/ All libraries are closed, but their online catalogs remain a treasure trove of e-books, audiobooks, digital magazines, newspapers and even documentaries and movies. Check out your library website to see what you can access via OverDrive, Libby, BorrowBox, Beamafilm etc. If you have wee kids, Tumble Book Library is also a great resource for read-along animated books.

2/ Substack has become our go-to for clever food writing recently. While many newsletters are for paying subscribers only, most writers publish free content which is easily accessible too. Some of our favourites include Alicia Kennedy, Vittles, Stained Page News and The Spirits. You can signup without being a paid subscriber to receive an author’s free content in you inbox.

3/ I’ve been working my way through To Asia, With Love by Hetty McKinnon. Whenever someone describes a cookbook as family-friendly, my assumption is always that the recipes could be a bit dull. This is not that. Recipes like Buttery miso Vegemite Noodles or Charred Cabbage Steaks are diabolically easy and addictive, while hitting all the right notes for kid-friendly eating.

That’s all from us this month. Stay safe, and be nice to each other. Feel free to hit reply to get in touch, and don’t forget to share The Breakfast Club with other foodies in your life. See you again soon 👋

Ooooh boy we’ve got some goodness for you in this weekend’s edition of The Breakfast Club.

One of the (minor) pitfalls of working in our office is the number of times each week we stumble across recipe ideas that make our tummies rumble – we’re chuffed we get to share some of them with you this morning!

But we’re also struck by how so many recipes are really great stories too – fascinating insights into the people and the places that created them.

If this idea delights you as much as it does us, we’d recommend getting your hands on a copy of The Book of Difficult Fruit by Kate Lebo. While the focus is firmly on fruit, it’s a nice reminder that food is actually not always a straightforward endeavour: the cultivation, harvest, preparation, brevity of its perfect eating moment, even the way it might overrun your garden. It’s a fraught undertaking, but the rewards are so worth it!

Kia pai tō rā whakatā – have a great weekend!

Anna, Hilary, Gregor and Cameron

If you’re not familiar with Freedom Farms… we’re a 100% NZ-owned company that set out over a decade ago to bring you bacon farmed the Freedom way… from NZ farmers who care about the same things we do. Simply put, that is farming that is kinder for farm animals, and takes it easy on the environment. When you buy our bacon, eggs, pork, sausages and ham you are supporting a wonderful little group of NZ farmers… and for that we’re really really grateful!

A history lesson over breakfast

The beloved Anglo-Indian mashup brekkie dish kedgeree has its roots in the legume and rice dish khichdi (khichri, kitchari and so on – the dish has many iterations across the Indian subcontinent and beyond – Egypt’s beloved pasta and chickpea koshari is a cousin, too). British colonials brought the concept back to the United Kingdom, albeit tweaked, where it became known as kedgeree. They took out the lentils and added smoked fish and boiled eggs, and this, along with the common belief that the dish was ‘good for hangovers’, helped put kedgeree firmly in the breakfast camp. 

Kedgeree is open to infinite variations – first you might start with raw rice, or use leftover cooked rice. You might add individual spices or reach for a generic curry powder, stick with haddock (hard to here in NZ) or switch it up.  Whatever you do (you can read Felicity Cloake’s deep dive on kedgeree if you want some pointers), don’t skip those hard boiled eggs! The eggs are key and you want the yolks to be prominent, so opt for Freedom Farms size M eggs which have smaller whites. 

And for an insight into the fascinating way in which kedgeree and other elements of Indian cuisine have a hand in shaping the cuisines of the colonisers, check out this feature on Al Jazeera. 

How to hard boil an egg

Place eggs in a saucepan and add cold water to 1 inch above the eggs.

Bring the water to the boil, cover the pan with a lid and remove the pan from the heat. Do not lift the lid. Set a timer for the type of boiled egg you want – for kedgeree you want the yolks reasonably firm, so here 7-8 minutes is good.

When time goes off, transfer eggs from the hot water, using tongs, and gently lower into a bowl of icy cold water to cool for around 10 minutes.

Gently tap the eggs against the bench to crack, then peel away the shell. 

Morning meditations

Matariki celebrations are happening up and down the country during this year’s Pipiri festival period, June 19 to July 11. We reckon a lovely way to acknowledge the occasion is to rise early, before the stars give way to rā, the sun rising in the east. Take some time to reflect on what you want to give to the day ahead, and what you want to receive from it. Te Papa has shared a collection of whakataukī you might like to call on. Such reflection is best done over a delicious first meal of the day…  so here’s a quick recipe for paraoa parae – Māori fried bread. Slather them with golden syrup, honey or jam, or serve alongside grilled bacon, fried eggs, sauteed spinach and Hollandaise sauce and you’ll be satisfied for hours. 

• In a bowl combine ½ cup each warm water and milk, 2 tsp sugar and 2 tsp plain flour, and sprinkle over 2 tsp dried yeast. Set aside for 10 mins until frothy. 

• In a large bowl combine 2 cups plain flour, pinch salt, and 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, then slowly add the frothy yeast mixture and gently combine. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 1 hour or so, it should double in size. 

• Tip dough out onto a floured bench and roll into a rectangle 2-3cm thick, then cut into 5x5cm squares. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to proof for 20 mins. 

• Heat oil for deep frying (to about 170℃ – you can test by poking the handle of a wooden spoon in, if bubbles form around it, the oil is ready). 

• Cook dough squares in batches of several at a time, until crisp and golden. Remove and drain on paper towels. 

I See Red

Tamarillos tend to be an opinion polariser – some love the rich subtropical flavour and tartness, which others find unpleasant. Lovers will find tamarillo a great addition to breakfasts and desserts, while haters… well, haters you may like to keep on reading to see if we can persuade you. (For further persuasion we prescribe a summertime visit to Zippy’s fresh fruit ice cream truck in Lang’s Beach, Northland).

Known as tomate de arbol in the Spanish-speaking parts of South America, the continent it originated in, the ‘tree tomato’ moniker was eschewed here in favour of a newfangled title drummed up by a promotional council in the 1960s in the hope of making this fruit more marketable. ‘Tamarillo’ stemmed from tama – Māori for boy, and ‘rillo’ from amarillo, Spanish for yellow (which original varieties were).

Raw, a generous sprinkling of brown sugar on the sliced open halves does wonders to mellow the acidity of the flesh, or you might like to make that a drizzle of honey or maple syrup. Stewing the flesh with brown sugar and spices makes a lovely compote to serve with granola or creamy oats. 

We reckon that on a savoury tip, tamarillo goes wonderfully with Freedom Farms rindless eye bacon – the tart fruitiness contrasts nicely with the bold, smoky-sweet bacon. We recently made an Ecuadorian-style tamarillo aji (type of salsa) and can confirm it’s very good indeed – we spooned it over grilled bacon and sliced avocado on toasted sourdough, layered it into a bacon, rocket and havarti grilled brekkie sando, and generously spiked it through a breakfast burrito of bacon, folded eggs, pickled pink onions, and sauteed leftover roast potatoes. 

Tamarillo Aji

Cut a cross in the non-stem end of 4 large tamarillos. Put in a bowl, cover with boiling water, let sit for 5-10 minutes, then gently peel the skin from the tamarillos and discard along with the stems. 

Place in a blender the peeled tamarillos, 1 peeled onion cut into quarters, 2 cloves peeled garlic, 1-2 habanero chillies (to taste, our chillies were surprisingly mild so we used two, seeds and all), ¼ cup fresh lime juice, ½ tsp salt, grind of black pepper, generous handful coriander. Blitz until it reaches the consistency you prefer. This will keep in a jar in the fridge for a week or more. 

Note – you can add 1 Tbsp olive oil when blending, if you like, which will result in a thicker, kind of ‘creamy’ consistency. 

Hello, breakfast eaters!

Did you stay up to see the super blood moon last night? The late night has us appreciating this morning’s cuppa that much more – thanks Flight Coffee!

Some breaking news with this month’s dispatch… the ball is finally rolling on country of origin labelling! The regulations require that country of origin be provided for fresh regulated products from 12 November this year, while frozen products come into effect on 12 May 2023. Woohoo!

Read on for some excellent breakfast-eating ideas… including cake for breakfast!

Don’t forget to check out the wee competition below to win a pack of Freedom Farms Bacon, Eggs and Sausages! That’ll make for some delicious Queen’s Birthday weekend eating.

Have a great day!

Anna, Hilary, Gregor and Cameron

Share The Breakfast Club

If you’re not familiar with Freedom Farms… we’re a 100% NZ-owned company that set out over a decade ago to bring you bacon farmed the Freedom way… from NZ farmers who care about the same things we do. Simply put… farming that is kinder for farm animals, and takes it easy on the environment. When you buy our bacon, eggs, pork, sausages and ham you are supporting a wonderful little group of NZ farmers… and for that we’re really really grateful!

Mrs Crunch

Q: What’s better than a ham and cheese toastie?

A: A croque monsieur – a sandwich of ham and cheesy mornay sauce that’s topped with more cheese and grilled. 

Q: What’s better than a croque monsieur?

A: A croque madame – a sandwich of ham and cheesy mornay sauce that’s topped with more cheese, grilled and topped with a fried egg. 

The original croque monsieur (the name translates to ‘Mr Crunch’, how cute is that?!) was a hot sandwich served alongside a glass of wine or two at a French bar or café...no doubt followed up with a Gauloise. Mrs Crunch takes all Mr Crunch’s attractive features and adds an egg on top which cooks as the top of the sandwich grills. Here in Aotearoa it’s become a winning brunch offering. Here are some tips for creating croque magic in your kitchen:

Start with a soft white bread. Traditionally pain de mie is used – a perfectly rectangular loaf with a soft crumb and crust. It’s similar to, but importantly less rich, than brioche. Look for pain de mie at French bakeries or opt for a plain white sandwich bread, sliced thickly. For a truly decadent twist, start with a croissant.

Freedom Farms Shaved NZ Champagne Ham is the perfect posh pick – top grade leg ham smoked just so. Add a generous couple of layers! If it’s festive season and you’ve got thick slices of Freedom Farms Champagne Ham to play with, go for gold!

The sauce – some cooks may opt for a straight bechamel but most enrich it with grated cheese, which makes it a mornay. Experiment with adding garlic, herbs, or your favourite mustard of the moment. 

The cheese that goes into the mornay and is piled on top to ooze down the sides as it melts under the grill, like a cheese curtain, is traditionally nutty and slightly sweet emmental, gruyère or comté. Don’t be afraid to try other varieties to find your favourite blend – mix in a little vintage Cheddar (we love Barry’s Bay Wainui Special), Parmesan, or maybe a little chèvre (we love Belle Chévre Creamery) or blue for a smooth finish. 

A couple of other great ways to enjoy shaved ham breakfast time:

• Ready-rolled butter puff pastry topped with a thin layer of Dijon mustard, cracked eggs, ham, snipped chives, and baked until puffed and golden.

• Folded layers of ham delicately sandwiched between two toasted English muffins, along with a fried egg, a handful of rocket leaves, and drizzle of Hollandaise or a dollop of aioli – an eggs Bene sandwich of sorts.

• Make a basic waffle batter (omitting all or just some of the sugar depending on your feelings about salty-sweet combos) stir in chopped shaved ham, grated Cheddar, a little salt and pepper. Additions like spring onion, crushed garlic are good too. Cook in waffle iron till golden and crisp. These are wonderful as a base on which to pile poached eggs and sauteed mushrooms...but they’re also a meal in themselves – and entirely snackable on the go if you’re running late!

Let them eat cake (for breakfast)

With our country’s nod to the Queen’s Birthday round the corner on June 7, now is a grand time indeed to be thinking about celebrating it with cake for breakfast. Specifically, Victoria Sponge Cake, named for the 19th Century monarch who favoured this type of cake, with a hot cuppa. Queen Vic may not be caught eating cake outside of afternoon tea time (or would she?...) but we have to say the Victoria Sponge does make the perfect breakfast – a fluffy, buttery cloud bedecked with whipped cream and jam… perfect to ease you into a winter’s day. 

Sponge cakes have been around since the Renaissance, but the invention of baking powder in the 1840s gave rise (see what we did there) to a new formula of cake batter – one that could be enriched with butter and yet still manage to inflate in the oven. 

Eggs also help the batter lift – enthusiasts may like to weigh their eggs to ensure a consistent result, while our top tip is to use Freedom Farms Size XL eggs, which give you a consistent weight and more generous ratio of whites that’s perfect for sponges. Go for fresh eggs, which will whip up better.

Here are a few more tips to help you on your way to breakfast cake bliss:

• Take the eggs out of the fridge and bring them up to room temperature, ditto the butter. If It's a cold day you may need to soften the butter a little further in the microwave – only to soften it a touch – do not let it melt, it needs to be still holding together or you will likely end up with a dense cake. 

• Weigh out and have ready all the ingredients first, as well as preparing the tins (greasing the base and up the sides with butter, then lining with paper). Timing can be vital with any cake-mixing, it’s never ideal to leave too much time between one step and the next. 

• Experiment to see whether you prefer a creamed butter and sugar method, a one yolk at a time method, or the simplest method, the all-in, quick mix. The latter has been, rather surprisingly, espoused by British baking doyenne Mary Berry. Even more controversial, Berry also reckons that rather than faffing with softening butter, scooping in spreadable marg straight from the fridge will give you perfectly good results. We can’t comment on that because mmmm...pure butter is just better. 

• Bake the cakes in the middle of your oven and don’t be tempted to open the door to check on them!

Want to chat to us about something you’ve read in The Breakfast Club? Just hit reply to send us a direct message, or use the button below to leave a public comment! (As always, please keep it kind and/or constructive).

Leave a comment

Our breakfast sausages are specially crafted for maximum morning enjoyment. The compact size and the casing is designed to offer up the perfect ‘snap’ with each bite you take. This makes them excellent hot dog sausies! If you’re worried they might be a little mini for the job, make a note of this important life hack… two can become one! Our breakfast sausages are links, sausages joined with a twist of their casing. You can join two breakfast sausages together to make one longer sausie by untwisting the casing in between and then gently massaging/rolling the filling to fill the gap! Heat a pan with a little olive oil and fry breakfast sausages for just 5 minutes or so, turning, till golden all over and cooked through.

Hot ideas for brekkie dogs

• Duvet dogs! Cook a thin blanket of omelette, roll up cooked breakfast sausages inside, and pop your pigs-in-duvets in a bun with chosen condiments. Cute or what?!

• Sprinkle grated Swiss cheese over the split-open bun before popping your cooked sausage in, and let the residual heat of the sausie gently melt the cheese. Top with chutney or relish. 

• Accompany brekkie sausage with Japanese-style omelette, sliced into thin strips, pickled daikon, thinly sliced nori, and a good squeeze of Kewpie mayo (or Kewpie wasabi mayo if you’re wanting a wee kick). 

• Breakfast sausages alongside eggs scrambled with chipotle, topped with pickled jalapeños and a dollop of sour cream. 

• A Full English dog: breakfast sausages joined by grilled streaky bacon rashers, silky folded eggs, cubed fried potatoes. You could try to fit grilled tomato in there... but you’d be pushing it!

• Top your sausage-in-bun with a sunny side-up crisp fried egg, a dollop of Thai chilli jam or other chilli sauce of your liking, and a scattering of coriander leaves.

Flourless banana pancakes

For this simple breakfast treat, you won’t even need a measuring cup. So long as you have eggs in the fridge and a couple of bananas in the fruit bowl (the closer to over-ripe, the better) you’re good to go – the small amount of baking powder does make for a fluffier texture, but it’s not strictly necessary. Mashing and mixing the batter using a fork is the best method.

In a bowl, mash 2 ripe bananas using a fork. Crack in 3 Freedom Farms Free Range size L eggs and whisk into the mashed bananas using the fork. Add ¼ tsp baking powder and a pinch of fine salt and combine well. Heat your favourite frying pan and add a generous wodge of either butter or virgin coconut oil depending on your preference. Cook spoonfuls of batter, spreading out gently with the back of a spoon or a crepe spreader. You want these small, about 8cm across, or they’ll be too tricky to flip. Let cook on low heat until sealed and golden brown on the first side, and almost cooked through, before attempting to turn them over – if you try to turn them too early they will fall apart! To turn them, gently ease a metal turner under and flip carefully. Cook on the other side for another half a minute or so until sealed and golden. Keep the pan well greased, and keep your stack of cooked pancakes warm as you go. Once all the batter is cooked, serve up – these banana pancakes are flavoursome all on their own, but additions that marry well include a drizzle of maple syrup, honey, or coconut nectar, a dollop of coconut yoghurt, fresh sliced fruit, and lightly crumbled Fresh-as freeze-dried fruit pieces. 

Get with the Buzz

Beekeepers Jessie Baker and Luke Whitfield are staunch proponents of nurturing urban bee populations. Their business Bees Up Top walks the talk by rescuing and rehabilitating bees, and rehoming them in hives installed all over the place including on the rooftops of Auckland businesses and restaurants. They also educate on the importance of bees (put simply: no bees, no food for us humans!) and how we can all do our bit to help bees thrive. 

We had a quick chat to Jessie to get the buzz on what her bees are up to...

Can you tell us a bit about your Buzz honey and how people can buy it or taste it?

“Uber Buzz honey can be purchased from the UberEats App. Each jar gets a free packet of bee friendly seeds so that people can help the bees by growing more food for them.”

Any top tips for people wanting to make their gardens and/or workplaces bee-friendly?

“Bees love blue flowers best! Plant things like rosemary, lavender, thyme and borage. Borage is exceptionally good because the flowers fill with nectar every two minutes, where other flowers can take up to 2 days. Sunflowers are also good because they provide lots of pollen that the bees feed to the baby bees. 

“Create a water drinking station for the bees to drink from in the summer. Bees need a lot of water to make honey, and they take water back to their hive to spread on the eggs and cool the hive down. They fan their wings which acts like an air conditioner. A shallow dish full of rocks or marbles submerged in water gives the bees a safe place to drink because they have something to stand on and won't drown.”

Local Spread

Kaipara might be famous as kūmara country but there’s a new underground crop causing a stir in the region… peanuts. MPI teamed up with pioneering peanut butter maker Pic’s of Nelson to plant a trial crop near Dargaville. The growing conditions, including warm soil temperatures, have proven successful with the first harvest of hi-oleic peanuts being gently pulled from the ground earlier this month. It’s early days, indeed, but we are greatly excited by the idea that we could be spreading Aotearoa made and grown peanut butter on our morning toast one day. 

Save your bacon…. 

Your bacon grease, that is! Don’t biff the leftover fat once you’ve plucked your crisp rashers from either  the pan, if cooking stovetop,  or baking tray, if cooking in the oven. Tilt the pan or tray and pour remaining fat into a glass jar, or alternatively let it cool somewhat till pliable and scoop it up into the jar with a spoon or spatula. Store in the fridge for up to a few weeks. As anyone raised in the southern states of America and they’ll tell you bacon grease is a precious ingredient, just as important as bacon itself. 

In southern states cooking, bacon grease adds a smoky, sweet, umami dimension to dishes like cornbread and that Thanksgiving mainstay, succotash. There’s plenty of other ways we love to use it, too:

• Toast croutons in it

• Fry eggs in it

• Roast root veggies in it

• Stir it through cooked greens – beans, peas, Brussels sprouts, broccoli

• Use in wok-fried noodle and rice dishes. Pork lard is traditionally used to cook pad Thai noodles, bacon grease works well too, just adjust the level of any salty seasonings down

• Use bacon grease in place of some or all the butter in savoury baking such as cheese scones, pastry, muffins, and loaves

• Cook potato rösti in it

• If you’ve got quite a bit of it, make baconnaise

Thanks for diving into The Breakfast Club with us this week. We reckon that breakfast is arguably the best meal of the day… so it’s heaps of fun sharing our thoughts and ideas with you!

If you’re not familiar with Freedom Farms… we’re a 100% NZ-owned company that set out over a decade ago to bring you bacon farmed the Freedom way… from NZ farmers who care about the same things we do… farming that is kinder for farm animals and takes it easy on the environment. When you buy our bacon, eggs, pork, sausages and ham you are supporting a wonderful little group of NZ farmers… and we’re really really grateful!

Enjoy this edition? Why not share it with your food loving friends?

Share The Breakfast Club

Brunch as a concept – brilliant. As a reality, it can be less than entirely enjoyable trying to get uniformly amazing-looking plates of nosh on the table at the right temperature and in unison, at the end of the day when you really just want to be easing into things. 

A pikelet platter to the rescue, to make those Easter brunch plans you have come to reality in a few, unfussy minutes. A generous pile of sweet or savoury pikelets – or both – as surrounded by delicious things to pile on top of them. Round off your platter with sliced fruit and veggie crudites to add crunch and a splash of colour.

Top tip: for extra fluffy pikelets, beat the egg whites separately till soft peaks form before folding through the rest of the batter. 

Savoury ideas: parmesan-flecked savoury pikelets topped with grilled rashers of Freedom Farms streaky bacon; hot smoked salmon (we love the way Aoraki makes it), creamed spinach, dill-spiked creme fraiche or Manaaki’s silky lemon & horopito sauce. 

Sweet inspo: spelt pikelets sweetened with coconut sugar topped with grilled banana, grilled rashers of Freedom Farms streaky bacon (yes, bacon on everything, of course!), blueberry-whipped mascarpone, and candied walnuts. 

Bringing the muffin back… for breakfast!

For some, they never went away, but for others, it’s been a while between muffins –  those icons of the 80s and 90s graced the cover of every baking book (Allison Holst’s Marvellous Muffins remains the ultimate guide) and rested artfully on every avocado-green formica kitchen counter. But along came cupcakes and banana bread to steal the limelight, and muffins fell out of favour. It’s time they had another chance! Muffin mix is a cinch to prepare – you can get away without creaming, sifting or much beating. Essentially, the muffin method ses wet ingredients combined, dry ingredients combined, then the two combined together. 

Thanks to this simplicity, muffins are easily change-uppable:

• Opt for melted butter or for oil

• Liquids can include any type of milk or mylk, yoghurt or dairy-free versions of, cream or buttermilk, and fruit juices. 

• If you’re not so down with refined sugar, swap it out for coconut sugar, Panela, dark cane sugar, or liquid sweeteners like molasses, brown rice syrup, date syrup, or mashed banana – just adjust the dry/wet balance accordingly. 

• Experiment with different types of flours as well as ground nuts and seeds – spelt, almond, hemp protein, LSA, chestnut flour, bran, coconut flour. 

• Add texture and flavour with chopped nuts, dried/fresh/frozen fruit, citrus zest, chocolate chunks or in savoury situations cheeses, sun dried tomatoes, olives, diced bacon, ham, or chorizo. 

Rise and shine!

Daylight savings is ending on April 4… don’t forget to turn your clocks back and treat yourself to a fancy breakfast to celebrate that extra hour of morning light. You’ve got the time to focus on the details…

• Toast in a toast rack – yes! When was the last time you used one of those? 

• And top said toast with perfectly softened butter and other condiments decanted into serving dishes – no more pesky butter remnants being double-dipped back into the jam jar!

• Coddled eggs – the very name conjures up a delicious feeling of time to spare 

• Homemade baked beans – made even more luxurious with the addition of our Smoked Pork Chorizo.

• Fresh bread and pastries, bought that morning – the bakery’s open and waiting for you...

• Good old fashioned newspaper, on actual paper – leaf through at leisure and save the puzzles pages for last. 

• Leaf tea. In a pot. Steeped for the correct amount of time...bliss. We’re fans of the range by Noble & Savage. 

• DIY freshly squeezed juice – three little words that most of us tend to outsource in our busy lives

• Slow-drip coffee – time to finally use that Chemex brew kit you bought yourself way back!

SOS!

Save our shells! Egg shells are pretty much just calcium carbonate… our bones love it, and so do plants. If you have a veggie patch, right about now you might be harvesting the last of summer’s bounty and feeding the soil to encourage lush growth on your upcoming winter plantings. Eggshells can be added to compost to enrich it, or crushed and mixed in with the soil in your garden bed – the shell breaks down very slowly, so in this way you’ll be feeding the roots of future plants. Indoor plants can benefit from your daily egg consumption, too. Rinse empty shells, removing any sticky bits, and dry out on a windowsill or uncovered in the fridge. Crush somewhat then pour over boiling water and let steep until it cools to room temperature. Strain and use to feed plants. 

Often thought of as a finicky dish to make, and therefore best left to the local café, potato rösti are in fact fairly simple to prepare, but a spot of planning will help you to golden, crisp, satisfying success. 

Googling ‘how to cook perfect rösti’ will lead you to myriad opinions, and no doubt leave you with less confidence than you set out with!

So let us put forward our tips for really good rösti…starting with how to pronounce the word… while many English speakers default to a tea made off Ross’ (ross-tee), the correct, Swiss German way to say rosti is ‘rrroosh-tee’ 

1. Go for a variety that leans towards waxy, or at least isn’t overly floury – Nadine, Red King or Draga are good choices. Larger sized potatoes make grating easier. 

2. Par boil your whole, skin-on potatoes – do not boil until soft, just until they are starting to become tender. 

3. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skins.

4. Cover and chill par-boiled potatoes for a few hours or overnight.

5. Grate potatoes into bowl and season well.

6. Heat cooking fat in a small, preferably heavy frying pan (cast iron is good) – butter is okay but it has a low smoke point because of the milk solids in it, so clarified butter (or ghee) is better...or if you can get your hands on duck or goose fat, you’re really winning.

7. Add a ladleful of grated potato and as it starts to sizzle, carefully press down into the pan to shape into a disc. 

8. Cook for about 10 mins on the first side then give the pan a shake to loosen the rosti from the bottom. 

9. Place a plate on top of the pan, and flip upside down to turn the rosti out onto the plate. 

10. Re-grease the pan well and place rosti back in to cook the other side – another 6-8 mins should do it on this side. 

11. Serve piping hot, topped with grilled bacon and eggs… however you like ‘em!

Latkes, rösti… What’s the diff?

A classic rösti as outlined here is made purely with grated potatoes, whereas latke recipes call for an egg to bind grated potato. A rösti is traditionally rather large and rather thick – in Zurich they like ‘em as big as your noggin and topped with a seriously rich veal marsala for a guaranteed food coma. Latkes tend to be daintier, and while they’ve become known as a potato dish they are also traditionally made with other grated root vegetables such as turnips, carrots, and swedes. 

Roll up, roll up!

With the Chinese lunar new year happening this month, we thought it a good time to take a look at a breakfast-time darling of the Chinese-speaking world. Jianbing – often shortened to bing, is a savoury crepe filled with an assortment of things that make up a flavour and texture sensation. Popular throughout China, Taiwan, and increasingly in the western world, they’re commonly sold from street carts and also a hot ticket at breakfast spots along with fresh hot soy milk. A batter, commonly made with mung bean flour, is spread very thinly onto a wide hot griddle. A couple of eggs are cracked on top and spread around to form another layer in the crepe, then fillings such as chopped spring onions or chives, coriander, preserved mustard greens are scattered over. The crepe is folded in half and the top spread with hoisin sauce and sometimes chilli sauce, and other toppings that vary according to preference and region. Youtiao (fried breadsticks), crisp wonton pieces, shredded chicken, lettuce, lap cheong (Chinese sausage), or – becoming more prevalent in big metropolises like Shanghai – crisp bacon… yes please! The completed creation is folded up, sliced in half and wrapped in greaseproof paper for eating on the go. 

Green on the scene

March 17th isn’t far off and we’ve got a way better idea for an edible nod to it than a few drop of green food colouring added to lemonade (sorry dad...I did enjoy that as a kid!) Turn your morning eggs green – the kind of shade that makes your greengrocer happy and gets a leprechaun dancing a merry jig. Persian-style herby eggs is a one-pan brekkie that will perk you up no end for shenanigans throughout the day – even better, it can be made with whatever you have in the veggie crisper that’s green!

Start with a good glug of olive oil in a frying pan, add chopped shallot or onion and gently cook until the onions have softened, add some chopped garlic and cook till fragrant. Then add another splash of olive oil and whatever herbs and greens you like – celery (including the tops, they work well here), parsley, spinach, silverbeet, kale, Chinese leafy greens, broccolini – coriander and dill are particularly good. If you like you can add spices such as turmeric, cumin, paprika, allspice… or just stick with salt and pepper if you prefer. Saute to coat in oil then add a few sploshes of veggie stock and simmer until stock has almost vanished. Make gaps in the greens and crack in eggs. Cook until whites are cooked through on top – you can, if you have an ovenproof pan, pop it in the oven to speed this up. Scatter over chopped dill and coriander leaves, and serve with Greek yoghurt stirred with a dash of lime juice and sprinkled with sumac.

Coffee, tea, or both? 

Yuenyueng (or yuanyang depending on dialect) is exactly that: a blend of both coffee and tea that’s a perennial favourite in Hong Kong, and popular too in Malaysia, where it’s known as kopi cham. Essentially, it’s black coffee blended with milky tea (the perfect ratio of which is up for debate) and sweetened to taste – usually with sweetened condensed milk. Yuenyueng can be served hot or cold over ice. In Hong Kong you’ll find it in the many cha chaan teng (tea cafes), where it’s often not even listed on the menu... but if you know, you know. It’s said that the perfect yuenyueng boats a ratio of 3 parts coffee to 7 parts milk tea, and that you can taste neither individual element but instead, one harmonious taste. 

Fun fact: yuenyueng is the word for the Mandarin duck, the male of which has beautiful bright plumage while the female is rather drab. But, like with coffee and tea in this fine drink, opposites attract and the birds are known for PDA. 

Pancake Tuesday

Last Tuesday was Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day – the day before the start of Lent – a Christian tradition of reflection and preparation for Easter. With Covid lockdowns still very much a part of the global existence, time for reflection has been abundant for many of us… along with plenty of creativity in the kitchen! The 30 second pancake video above took a whopping 600 pancakes to create… very impressive!

What better way is there to demonstrate affection than presenting the first meal of the day, thoughtfully prepared? Preferably served in bed, naturally – but exceptions are acceptable for those messier ideas which could place your favourite linen in peril. Here are our top picks for a morning love-in: 

• Infuse crepe batter with a vanilla pod and a small amount of crushed cardamom seeds, and serve a wee stack of delicately folded crepes topped with a dollop of Greek yoghurt with a swirl of lemon curd, and a scattering of pomegranate arils and dried rose petals. 

• Take an omelette up a notch, to omelette souffle level. Basically this – separate the eggs, beat the whites to soft peak stage, whisk the yolks with a little of the beaten whites plus salt and pepper, then gently fold the yolk mixture into the whites. Heat an ovenproof pan with a generous knob of butter, then add the omelette mixture and tilt then pan to spread out evenly. Top with grated Gruyere or crumbled goat’s chevre, and cook under the grill until golden and puffy. Slide onto a plate and top with fresh herbs – or if you’re feeling very fancy, with caviar or truffle shavings. 

• Shape streaky bacon into hearts (two strips per heart, folded to create the rounded heart tops) and grill till crisp, then carefully lift with a spatula to place as the crowning glory on top of an English breakfast line-up, or on top of any brekkie dish you like!

• Make a chocolate short sweet pastry (or use Paneton’s ready-made if you’re short on time/patience) and bake small tart cases to fill with a classic creme patissiere, and top with summer berries, glazed to to mirror-finish. Served with dainty cups of Earl Grey tea, it’s one elegant love letter. 

• Translating as ‘pick me up’, tiramisu has a reputation as a dessert for lovers… but we reckon it makes even more sense shared with a loved one in the morning, when the espresso hit is needed! Layer yours in a stemless wine glass and use the very best quality ingredients you can for ultimate up-picking. 

• Take blood-red heirloom tomatoes, slice and arrange into a big heart, and top with with basil leaves, your best extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, and Il Casaro’s locally made burrata – its bouncy mozzarella outside cosseting an inner chamber of runny cream. 

• Use late summer berries (blackberries and boysenberries are wonderful here if you can source them) to make rumtopf – a classic macerated conserve that goes great on sweet breakfast dishes such as crepes, bircher muesli, granola and waffles. The very name rumtopf has a somewhat of a romantic ring to it, no?

• Seek out those double yolkers! The ultimate heartwarming edible allegory, double yolked eggs are in fact common in our Freedom Farms XL size packs – the more you crack open, the more you’ll find...

• Elvis knew a thing or two about wooing – take a leaf from The King’s book and make a Graceland inspired bonanza: homemade banana bread, fried in butter and topped with crisp bacon and caramelised banana, drizzled with a peanut butter caramel sauce. 

• Simple, to the point and sumptuous: take sliced of a nice brioche loaf, butter, and sandwich around chunks of good-quality dark chocolate, with a sprinkle of sea salt and drizzle of olive oil. Toast until the brioche is golden and chocolate is oozing. Serve with a scoop of premium vanilla ice cream.

Capture the season...

Summer produce is looking mighty fine right about now… we say start at breakfast as you mean to go on through the day – making the most of the season’s bounty before it’s gone!

Stone Fruit 

They’re wonderful just on their own, sliced to grace cereals and pancakes – try tossing them first in honey melted and combined with lemon or lime juice for extra zing. Halve and remove stones or pits and cook in a heated pan with some butter and brown sugar, till fragrant and caramelising, and enjoy alongside grilled bacon, with a drizzle of maple syrup. Cut into small dice and toss with mint leaves, and a sweet balsamic reduction to top crepes. 

Watermelon

Use a melon baller to scoop balls of watermelon and serve in an emptied out watermelon half with crunchy, nutty granola and dollops of yoghurt. Slice wedges of watermelon and make like fruity pizza, topped with coconut yoghurt, toasted coconut flakes, a strip of grilled streaky bacon if you’re feeling adventurous, and a scattering of crumbled freeze-dried plum or strawberry.

Courgettes

Make fritters – grate and toss with a couple of seasoned whisked eggs, slivered almonds, lemon zest, crumbled feta, and chopped mint leaves, then cook spoonfuls in hot oil till golden on both sides, and top stacks with grilled bacon and tomato. 

Tomatoes and capsicums

Put in a bit of time the night before and confit tomatoes and sliced capsicum, baby onions, and garlic, and in the morning, place back in the oven in a baking dish, spiked with breakfast sausages and eggs. Roast cherry tomatoes and sliced capsicums with whole cloves of garlic and wedges of red onion till tomatoes are blistered, then toss with sliced chorizo and rocket leaves and serve on toasted sourdough. 

Chilli

The heat from chilli needn’t overwhelm; it can instead be a gentle presence that amplifies other flavours. Cook down jalapenos to make a clear jelly, which goes wonderfully dolloped onto grilled sausages and bacon. Check out Sami Tamimi’s recipe for shatta in his recent publication Falastin – if you’re anything like us you’ll be adding this mild, umami chilli condiment to every savoury breakfast in sight!

Honey… there’s more than just mānuka!

We’re not here to throw shade on Aotearoa’s most renowned honey… but rather to shine a light on a few of the other delicious varieties that deserve your attention at breakfast time. 

Pale yellow kāmahi honey is mostly produced in the South Island’s West Coast, and its pure, sweet taste is lovely simply slathered on toasted bread, especially something with a sourdough zing, or drizzle it over halved grapefruit to balance the bitter tanginess.

Amber-coloured honeydew is a fascinating affair: made from the glistening, dew-like secretions of teeny aphids, notably in the West Coast’s beechwood forests, which bees go crazy for. It has a distinctive, tangy taste somewhat akin to molasses and is beautiful stirred through creamy porridge or drizzled over grilled bacon. 

Pale colour but bold in flavour, thyme honey has distinct floral notes. Try it drizzled over breakfast bruschetta with stunning Belle Chevre Creamery goat’s chevre and toasted walnuts, or to accompany sliced pork and fennel sausage and crumbled blue cheese in a filling for a buckwheat galette. 

Floral with malty notes, the origin of rewarewa honey is a native honeysuckle. It’s perfect for stirring into tea or adding to banana smoothies. 

Stemming from another member of the wider myrtle family that manuka belongs to, kanuka honey is sourced from Kunzea ericoides. It has a similar flavour profile to manuka (and is said to share its health benefits) but is usually a little lighter in colour and a bit milder in taste. Its butterscotch notes are lovely with grilled stone fruit, pineapple, or banana, tossed through toasted muesli, or whipped with softened butter and orange zest to make a spread. 

Not sure why you’re getting this email? 

You may not have heard from us in a while, but at some point in the last few years you signed up for the Freedom Farms e-Zine, which has recently been resurrected as two separate monthly publications.

The Omnivore – dedicated to everything delicious, and delves into the fascinating world of things edible: from farm to plate and all the places in between. 

The Breakfast Club – celebrating the first – and arguably best – meal of the day.

Each is sent once a month, so we promise not to clog up your inbox. We’re also kind of jaded by the relentless sales pitches that email newsletters have become… so you won’t find any of that palaver either.

If you’d rather we stay out of your inbox we promise not to get hurt feelings if you unsubscribe at the link at the bottom of the page.

We hope that for you, there’ll be time over the next few weeks to switch off the morning alarm for a time, to wake up to the promise of an uncluttered day, and to settle into a ritual – even if temporary – of pleasuring the taste buds and soul over a slow, scrumptious mourning meal. 

Freedom Farms wishes you a relaxed festive season ripe with joyful eating!

JUST THREE MORE SLEEPS…

‘Til you can tuck into a delectable Christmas breakfast. While a hearty Christmas lunch or dinner is always a good idea, there’s more than enough hours on languid, summer-breezy December 25th to make a generous festive breakfast the most enjoyable way to start the day. 

• One-pan eggy breakfasts are an easy and highly tasty way of feeding a crowd – a saucy base with any number of veg or meat additions, and whole eggs cracked in, to cook through either on stovetop or in the oven. Think an Ottolenghi-style shakshuka, or go devilled with sliced Classic Pork sausages in a tangy sauce made with mustard powder, softened onion, brown sugar and tomato sauce. Or try sliced chorizo, sliced red peppers, sweet paprika, and lots of parsley for a Spanish take. 

• Make breakfast pizzas – start the dough the night before and let it rise slowly so it’s ready to go in the morning. Press out into long rectangles (easy to slice and share) and top with caramelised onion, rashers of streaky bacon, semi-dried tomatoes, carefully cracked and placed eggs, and discs of mozzarella. Bake in a super hot oven (or pizza oven if you have one) and serve hot with a generous drizzle of olive oil (truffled, if you like), and a smattering of chopped flat leaf parsley. 

• Or take that pizza dough and make a pull apart bread (also known as monkey bread) filled with bacon, chive, garlic, cheddar, and egg. Serve it hot for peak oozing cheese, for everyone to dig into with their (sparkling clean!) hands. 

• Does salad for breakfast sound up your street? Try these ideas: a power brekkie salad with fried cubes of potato and grilled bacon tossed with halved cherry tomatoes, rocket or baby kale, thinly sliced red onion, toasted pumpkin seeds and an aioli dressing. Or a wake-up panzanella – yesterday’s sourdough torn into chunks and toasted in a dry pan before being tossed with heirloom tomatoes, basil leaves, thinly sliced red onion, capers, anchovies, and a hefty amount of red vinegar and olive oil dressing, topped with torn mozzarella. 

• If you’re keen to keep things fairly light, flourless banana pancakes are a winner. Whisk several eggs, mash a few bananas, combine the two with a little vanilla extract and cinnamon (you can add some quinoa flakes, quick-cook oats, or LSA and ½ teaspoon baking powder if you’d like to bulk it up a little). Cook in a mix of butter and oil on each side till golden. Top with fresh berries and a wodge of oozing honeycomb, or add grilled bacon for a heartier vibe. 

Mince magic

Our freedom-farmed pork mince was recently joined on shop shelves by another piece of mince magic – we’re proud to be contributing to the brand new Ultimate Kiwi Mince from First Light Farms. Both these products are great to have to hand for tasty breakfasts. 

Our pork mince has a naturally sweet-and-savoury flavour. It pairs beautifully with many East and Southeast Asian flavours:

• Soup is a popular brekkie throughout much of East and Southeast Asia. Season pork mince with salt, pepper, a little crushed ginger and garlic, and roll into mini meatballs. Add to a simple chicken or vegetable broth and cook on a fast simmer until cooked through, serve over cooked rice noodles with a handful of bean sprouts and a drizzle of soy sauce, sesame oil, and chilli oil. 

• Saute sliced shallots, garlic, ginger, and very finely sliced makrut lime leaves (optional). Add pork mince and brown. Add a splash of stock, a little palm or soft brown sugar, salt and pepper, some chilli flakes if wished, saute until the liquid has evaporated. Take off heat and stir through a little fish sauce, lime juice, and white pepper. Serve on steamed rice or toasted sourdough topped with a fried egg and coriander leaves. 

The Ultimate Kiwi Mince is what it says on the packet – the ultimate... in flavour, texture, and nutrition. Rich, nutty wagyu and full-flavoured venison from First Light Farms is joined by our sweet and smoky streaky bacon in one terrific trinity. It’s great on its own but it also holds up to bold flavours: 

• Make breakfast burritos – brown your mince, add diced red capsicum and chopped garlic and soften, add a little chipotle in adobo, a little ground cinnamon and cumin, pepper and salt, and cook for five mins till mince is cooked through. Spoon onto tortillas, top with sliced avocado, scatter over Lucky Taco Pink Pickles, coriander leaves, spoon over some sour cream or thick yoghurt and a little salsa, roll up tortilla and enjoy. 

• Make breakfast Bolognese – make your favourite recipe (which will be even better with this mince, trust us). Serve on fresh, cooked tagliatelle topped with a poached egg, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, chopped flat leaf parsley, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Pierce the egg to commence the best breakfast ever. 

Our new fortnightly newsletter celebrates the first – and arguably the best – meal of the day. We’re all about balance here at Freedom Farms, so you can expect a bit get-up-and-go, and a bit take-it-easy. We see breakfast as a meal that can bring pure joy: a moment to gather your thoughts while enjoying something that tastes really good.. the day stretches ahead of you, full of opportunities, best explored with a belly that’s filled in the nicest possible way. 

The Breakfast Club aims to be a source of breakfast inspiration, tips, tricks, new happenings... and we’d love to think we could be the oracle when it comes to all things bacon and eggs. 

In our first edition of The Breakfast Club, we pit crepes against pancakes, and meet a life-changing spice blend from one of the country’s leading chefs that’s perfect for pepping up eggs. 

Crepes or pancakes?

Do you prefer wafer-thin crepes folded or rolled around moreish fillings, or a stack of thick, fluffy pancakes? We won’t make you choose… both are delicious when done right. The main difference is that French-style crepes are unleavened, whereas American-style pancakes include a raising agent such as baking powder or baking soda, which makes the batter rise as it cooks. 

Springtime heralds relaxed weekend brunches out on the deck, or in a warm bath of morning sunshine pouring in through a window... so we’ve put together some crepe and pancake ideas to whet your appetite. 

• In place of cow’s milk, you can use any plant milk, yoghurt, cream, or kefir in the batter. 

• Use the freshest ingredients possible – in a simple dish like this, it makes a difference. Baking powder or soda that’s been open less than six months, just-bought butter (the best you can afford), stoneground organic flour.  

• Try buckwheat flour or a blend of plain and buckwheat flours for a Breton-style galette. 

• Pancakes are particularly forgiving of experimentation with non-wheat flours – almond, coconut, chestnut, amaranth, etc. 

• Don’t overmix! The more you mix the batter, the more you build the gluten strands which will make the end product chewy. For tender, delicate pancakes and crepes, sift dry ingredients and mix gently and minimally. Don’t worry too much about little lumps in the batter as they dissipate during cooking, like magic!

• Use a large (balloon) whisk to mix the batter – the shape helps incorporate air into the batter.

• Try adding lemonade to pancake batter for an extra-fluffy texture and sweetness. 

• Fat pancakes can hold additions such as blueberries or raspberries, chocolate chips, and diced apple. Crepes can be spiked with liqueurs like brandy, Grand Marnier – or even a non-bitter beer, which fans say makes for ultra-lacy specimens... 

• Pancake batter shouldn’t be left to rest for longer than five minutes before cooking, as the raising agents will stop working. 

• Conversely, some experts reckon crepes are best made with well-rested batter. Food scientist Harold McGee is one: he explains that as the batter rests, the flour continues to be soaked into the liquid, and as a result, the batter cooks quicker and with a smoother texture. The batter thickens as it rests so whisk in a little more liquid prior to cooking. 

• Use lovely fresh, free-range eggs. Eggs add flavour, structure and richness to pancake and crepe batters. 

Pep up eggs with secret spices

A couple of weeks ago, we were excited to try out the new Cassia at Home range of curry sauces and spices from renowned restaurateurs Sid and Chandni Sahrawat. As well as a juicy pork scotch korma curry, we came up with a delicious recipe for chaat masala hash with eggs –  it’s just the ticket when you want something filling and flavourful, but fuss-free for breakfast. 

RECIPE: Chaat masala hash with eggs

The word chaat covers a wonderful world of street snacks, ubiquitous throughout much of India. Chaat dishes are sweet, salty, tangy, crunchy, refreshing and ultimately, finger-lickingly umami… and a key factor in their deliciousness is the spice blend that graces them with the final touch: chaat masala. It should, however, come with a warning – this stuff is so good it will become habit-forming!

Here we’ve used Cassia at Home chaat masala blend to enliven our fresh free range eggs. It’s a great way to make delicious use of leftover potatoes or other root vegetables, and odds and ends of greens and herbs – but we’re given instructions for cooking from scratch here... just skip the first step and reach for those leftover spuds, if you have them. 

Serves 2  | Ready in 30 minutes

½ onion, finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 capsicum, diced
3 tsp Cassia At Home Chaat Masala 
300g potato (more or less, washed and cut into small cubes, and/or use kumara)
1 cup chopped leafy greens (baby spinach, Asian greens, baby kale, broccolini)
3 Tbsp stock 
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
4 Freedom Farms eggs
2 handfuls chopped herbs (coriander or mint)
Small handful curry leaves and 1 Tbsp pomegranate arils (optional, to garnish) 

Put potato in a pot and cover with cold water. Put lid on, bring water to a boil and cook at a rolling boil for 10 mins or so until potatoes are tender. Drain.

Heat a large cast-iron pan over medium heat and add a generous glug of vegetable oil. Add onion and garlic to the pan and saute for 4-5 mins until onion is translucent. Add capsicum and stir in, then stir in 1 tsp Cassia chaat masala blend, and continue to cook for 2 mins until fragrant. 

Add potatoes, stir to coat in spice, and saute for 2-3 mins, flipping potatoes just once so they get some good contact with the pan. Add greens, stock and vinegar, and saute for 2 mins or so, to wilt the greens. 

Make four hollows evenly spaced out in the potato mix. Drizzle a little oil into hollows, then crack an egg into each one. Cook for 5 mins on medium-low heat and then either turn heat down to low, put a lid on and cook for another couple of minutes until egg whites are set or, if your pan is oven-proof can transfer it to a preheated oven at 180℃ to cook for a few mins until whites are set. 

If using curry leaves, heat a little oil in a pan and toast, flipping, until crisp and semi-translucent, then cool on a paper towel. 

Sprinkle remaining chaat masala over the finished dish and top with crisp curry leaves and pomegranate arils. Dish up with a fish slice onto serving plates.