Scrambled eggs

Experienced cooks will not need to learn how to cook these, but may find the prefatory remarks of interest. Scrambled eggs, as we all know, stick better than epoxy and most galleys simply do not have the room for a small, non-stick saucepan dedicated solely to the scrambling of eggs. A good alternative is to use your wok, if you have such a thing. I have a small enamelled pan that I regularly use for popcorn and that works like a charm, too. The new-style, hard-anodised, cast aluminium pans are perfect, so consider one of these if (a) you need another pan and/or (b) you love scrambled eggs. Cleaning a scrambled egg pan is probably one of the best arguments for trying a vegan alternative!

For the voyager new to cooking, I include this recipe because scramblers are so lovely when well made and so liable to turn out disappointingly. To ensure success, don’t let yourself be distracted while cooking them; have the hot plates, toast, etc ready in advance and everyone sitting down in anticipation; use a little milk or water to help them stay moist; don’t use too high a heat.

The best tool for scrambling eggs is a flat, wooden spatula, if you have such a thing.

Serves 2

a large knob of butter – equivalent of a heaped tbsp, or olive oil 

a generous grinding of pepper

seasoned salt

4 eggs

2 tbsp milk/thin cream/water

• Over a low heat, melt the butter and stir in a pinch of salt and the black pepper.

• Add the milk and eggs; beat quickly together for a moment until the yolks are broken and blended with the whites. You don’t want them to be totally incorporated as in an omelette.

• Cook gently, occasionally scraping the setting eggs from the bottom and sides of the pan – don’t stir too vigorously because you want to create soft, smooth curds.

• When all the egg is set, but before it starts drying out and turning rubbery, serve immediately, usually with hot toast, but it’s also good with freshly-baked bread.

Variations:

• A little dried, minced garlic is delicious in scramblers at any time, and particularly if the eggs are getting past their best.

• Add a little grated cheese to the pan, as soon as you’ve put in the eggs.

• A few fresh herbs go well, especially parsley.

• Try some cracked black pepper, for a change.

• A couple of sliced mushrooms, fried in the butter/oil are delicious.

• Add a sliced tomato, or several sliced cherry tomatoes.

• If you add a little curry paste to the eggs, before beating them, the result makes a delicious snack on toast or crackers.

• If you are lucky enough to find wild garlic, this goes beautifully with scrambled egg

Poached Eggs

I love poached eggs, but surprisingly few people make them. I hate those little poached egg devices that are sold: they produce a result completely different from a real poached egg, with its lovely, lacy white, surrounding a perfectly set yolk. So if you feel that you have no room for your egg poacher, take heart: there is a better alternative.

There are two requirements for flawless poached eggs: (1) plenty of salt in the water (or a tbsp of lemon or vinegar, if you prefer, although they flavour the egg quite strongly), which guarantees the white setting; (2) the water must be at a full, rolling boil before the egg is lowered into the pan. For this reason, eggs should be at ‘room temperature’, ie about 18°C (70°F). In very cold places, you may have to cook the eggs no more than two at a time.

Serves 2

2 cups seawater

4 eggs

• If the seawater isn’t very clean, use fresh water and a tsp salt. Put the water into a large saucepan and bring to a rolling boil.

• When the water is rapidly boiling, carefully break an egg into it, at one side of the pan. (If you are worried about breaking the yolks, break the egg onto a small plate first, and then slide it in.)

• Set the timer for three minutes, for a soft yolk.

• When the water comes back to a vigorous boil, add another egg. Continue in this way until all the eggs are in the pan.

• Reduce the heat and cover.

• When the timer pings, remove the eggs from the pan with a slotted spoon, in the same order as they went in.

• Serve immediately, generously seasoned with black pepper, on hot, buttered toast.

If you find that everything froths up too much, move the lid sideways, to partially cover the pan or turn off the heat as soon as you've added the final egg. Let the pan stand for 6 (soft) or 7 (firmer) minutes and then take the eggs out.

Variations:

• For Eggs Florentine, cook and drain spinach, season with pepper and serve topped with a poached egg.

• Instead of butter, spread the toast with Dijon mustard

• Sprinkle the eggs with a mild ground chilli powder, such as Kashmiri

• If you like the heat, spread the toast with chilli paste

Fried egg sandwich

I suspect that this sounds pretty revolting to my more fastidious readers, but as they happen to be a personal favourite of mine, I am including them. For perfect fried egg sandwiches, you need decent bread – preferably home made, good-quality tomato ketchup and eggs whose yolks are set, but whose whites are not frazzled.

Serves 2

8 slices bread

tomato ketchup

1 tbsp olive oil OR butter

4 eggs

pepper

Annie’s Mixed Herbs

• Toast the bread on one side only.

• Spread a thin layer of tomato ketchup on the untoasted side of each slice of bread.

• Place a frying pan on the burner. Add the olive oil or butter and before it gets hot, carefully break in the eggs so that they are spread evenly around the pan. Tilt the pan, if necessary to keep them so, or gently move them with a spatula.

• When the whites start to set and are lifting up and down, break the yolks. Then sprinkle with Annie’s Mixed Herbs and a generous grinding of pepper. Lower the heat and cover.

• Cook for several minutes until the whites are set. Watery whites are horrible in fried egg sandwiches.

• As soon as the eggs are cooked, cut the pan full of eggs into four equal portions with a knife and then lift out a piece of fried egg, placing it on the ketchup side of one piece of bread. Put another slice on top and serve at once. If you didn’t cook the yolks hard, fried egg sandwiches can be a bit drippy, so ensure that a plate and tissues are to hand.

Variations:

• A small onion can be diced and quickly stirred around before adding the fried eggs. Don’t let it cook too long, or the pan will get hot and the whites will then end up crisp.

• A full-flavoured, but mild mustard makes a pleasant alternative to tomato ketchup. Or try another type of sauce.

• Some wild garlic, if you come across some, is delicious, snipped over the eggs while they set.

Plain Omelette

These make a pleasant change at breakfast. Ideally, they should be made individually, in 150 mm (6 in) omelette pans, but most boats would not have room for such a luxury. They come out a bit on the thin side, if you make them one at a time in a larger pan, so better to make a four-egg omelette and share nicely.

Serves 2

 

4 eggs

salt and pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp Annie's Mixed Herbs

 

Method:

• Break the eggs into a bowl and beat them lightly with a fork or whisk so that the whites and yolks are combined. Add salt and grind in some pepper. 
• Heat the oil in a frying pan until it’s runny but by no means smoking. Tip in the eggs and tilt the pan so that the mixture spreads itself evenly around. You can lift up the edges of the omelette as it sets so that the liquid egg trickles underneath. 
• When the top is almost set, sprinkle on the herbs and as the last of the liquid egg firms up, fold the omelette in half with a fish slice. 
• Quickly cut it in half and then put each section onto a heated plate. Serve at once.
  

Variations:

• Of course, there are innumerable variations on the theme, but for breakfast, you probably don’t want anything too exciting. A little grated cheese would be very acceptable. Add just before you fold the omelette. 
• You might like to spoon over some jam, if you have a sweet tooth, in which case, leave out the herbs. 
• Another useful idea is to preheat any of last-night's leftovers and put those in the omelette. But the few herbs are really all most people would want, first thing in the morning, especially if you are fortunate enough to have some fresh herbs on board. 
• If you fancy something more substantial, make a Spanish omelette or a frittata (see recipe).