Hatch a plan for an eggy pudding

You may remember from last week that I was waxing long and winded about the eggs my hens are laying. I won’t repeat any of my excessive hyperbole except to say, they’re still going and three eggs a day is quite a boon/responsibility.

Therefore, I have recently been trying to come up with recipes to use up the eggs, from fancy omelettes to cakes. I also made some mayonnaise last week but that’s another story. FYI: It was fantastic and slathered over just-roasted chicken, it was a real foodie moment.

“Long-vilified for their high cholesterol content by well-meaning doctors and scientists researching heart disease, eggs now seem to be making a bit of a comeback. So what changed?” asks Harvard School of Public Health.

I’ll tell you what changed. We all wised up. Well, that’s the short answer to the question. The long answer is that while it’s true that a large egg yolk has some 200mg of dietary cholesterol, eggs also contain nutrients which can help lower the risk of heart disease. Also, again, according to Harvard, “The focus on dietary cholesterol alone was de-emphasized as more attention was placed on the influence of saturated and trans fat on blood cholesterol…

“Eggs were previously associated with heart disease risk as a result of their high cholesterol content. However, a solid body of research shows that for most people, cholesterol in food has a smaller effect on blood levels of total cholesterol and harmful LDL cholesterol than does the mix of fats in the diet.”

Ultimately, the crux of the matter is that when eggs are eaten by someone as part of a reasonably healthy diet, they are certainly not the worst things you could be eating. Low in fat and high in protein – what’s not to love?

This next recipe is one that I’ve been planning and thinking about for a long time. It’s a knock-off version of something that my mother and grandmother used to make for us when we kids. I can actually picture in my mind’s eye digging into an eggy pudding at the kitchen table when I was about eight or nine. I loved it then and I love it now.

Eggy pudding at its basic level is stale bread soaked in eggs and milk and seasoning and baked in the oven until set. However, it is also very versatile and lends itself to all manner of additional ingredients.

Over the past few weeks I’ve made this two ways, both of which were different and both exceptionally satisfying.

It’s also a weekend dish insofar as you’re not likely to have time to bake eggs on a weekday morning, what with work breathing down your neck and the weight of the world threatening to crush your spirit. However, if you want a breakfast that’s going to keep you going past lunchtime and into the afternoon, this is the one for you. Also, even if you’ve never cooked before, this is the recipe for you. Unless you black out and collapse during the baking element of the process, this is going to turn out fantastic. It’s literally fool proof. Trust this fool.

In the photo you can probably make out that I used sourdough bread in my latest eggy pudding but any type of bread will do.

Also, consider this recipe as a guide only. Just as a pizza will take pretty much any topping, eggy pudding can handle any savoury accoutrement.

INGREDIENTS

Four or five slices of the bread of your choice, torn or sliced into chunks

Six or eight free range eggs, preferably ones laid by Ariana, Beyonce or Lizzo

Good glug of milk (about 150ml)

100g of grated mature cheddar cheese

3 spring onions, chopped

3 or 4 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, fried until crisp then chopped

THE PLAN

It’s very simple but as with most recipes, simple can be great.

After you’ve torn or chopped the bread, add this to a large mixing bowl and add in the milk and the eggs and then batter with a wooden spoon until well combined. Actually, it’s best to have one of the kids do all of this so that you can sit back with a coffee and contemplate the transience of youth.

When eggs and milk are combined, add in all of the cheddar, most of the spring onions and all of the bacon. Batter again with that wooden spoon and then pour into a baking dish which you have cunningly lined with grease proof paper.

Retire to the oven (170C) for about ten to 15 minutes or until set and then top with the remaining spring onions, slice up and devour.

NOTE

You won’t see this in the picture ‘cause I hadn’t added it yet but I found that a good squeeze of sriracha works wonders.