Bagels for Breakfast
Blame it on all those Enid Blytons as a child but for the longest time I was utterly fascinated by scones. And clotted cream. Coming home exhausted after their investigations, Julian, Anne, George et al always tucked into "hot, buttered scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam". It all sounded so exotic, so delicious. And so far removed from Rasna and masala Maggi that I pestered my parents endlessly to bring me some scones! Now that I think about it, with all their talk of food, Blyton's books were more a 'what'scookin' than a 'whodunit'!
The next phase of food curiousity came with high school French. In the text Pierre and Henri taught us how to conjugate difficult verbs. Were they content going to the libarary two days in a row so we could learn present and future tense? Non, they also found time to visit the boulangerie and buy croissants, gateau and pain au chocolat so we could learn more about French food. In an 11am class. To drool, am drooling, will drool....
When I saw the WBB theme this month was for breakfast from other cultures, I decided to either make an English or French breakfast in honor of these old obsessions. But a busy week tossed my plans out the window and I fell back on the good ol' American favorite - bagel. Since bagels originated in Austria I suppose my entry spans not one but two cultures.
This is by no means a consolation menu - sauteed wild mushrooms sprinkled with herbs, topped with melting cheese and sandwiched between a golden, toasted bagel is a great way to start the day (take that Blyton!)
(adapted from 'Great Grilled Sandwiches')
bagel of choice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup wild mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
taleggio cheese, to taste (or any other cheese that melts well)
salt and pepper to taste
Heat a pan with oil and butter. Add garlic and saute for a minute. Add mushrooms and saute until they lose their moisture. Season to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Arrange mushrooms on one half. Top with cheese and place second half. Grill in a sandwich/ panini grill until cheese melts (I used the broiler). Serve hot.
Entry for WBB # 14 hosted by Glenna of A Fridge full of Food
Trivia of the day - Bagel is the only bread product that is boiled before it is baked. More here
The next phase of food curiousity came with high school French. In the text Pierre and Henri taught us how to conjugate difficult verbs. Were they content going to the libarary two days in a row so we could learn present and future tense? Non, they also found time to visit the boulangerie and buy croissants, gateau and pain au chocolat so we could learn more about French food. In an 11am class. To drool, am drooling, will drool....
When I saw the WBB theme this month was for breakfast from other cultures, I decided to either make an English or French breakfast in honor of these old obsessions. But a busy week tossed my plans out the window and I fell back on the good ol' American favorite - bagel. Since bagels originated in Austria I suppose my entry spans not one but two cultures.
This is by no means a consolation menu - sauteed wild mushrooms sprinkled with herbs, topped with melting cheese and sandwiched between a golden, toasted bagel is a great way to start the day (take that Blyton!)
(adapted from 'Great Grilled Sandwiches')
bagel of choice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup wild mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
taleggio cheese, to taste (or any other cheese that melts well)
salt and pepper to taste
Heat a pan with oil and butter. Add garlic and saute for a minute. Add mushrooms and saute until they lose their moisture. Season to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Arrange mushrooms on one half. Top with cheese and place second half. Grill in a sandwich/ panini grill until cheese melts (I used the broiler). Serve hot.
Entry for WBB # 14 hosted by Glenna of A Fridge full of Food
Trivia of the day - Bagel is the only bread product that is boiled before it is baked. More here
Posted By Ashwini | Permalink |
22 Comments:
Hi Ashwini,
So delicious and quick breakfast, i am not a big fan of mushroms but i can see myself subsitituing with other veggies and eating...nice recipe.
Yes, u re right, Pierre and Henri did knock on my curiosity chamber and kept wondering how croissants and patisserie will look like :) the table looks beautiful and so is ur dish :)
Shn
Yup, Enid Blyton did make those picnic baskets sounds so delicious and distant !! Love the idea of the bagel sandwich. But my current fav is jalepeno and cheddar bagel with jalapeno cream cheese...hot hot hot !
Yeah I agree with you totally on the Blyton exotica. That and the way they describe the aloof noon called "fireplace" ... the wild cackling of the fire.. providing warmth ..in the wintry weather.. yeah description like that would make me insist having a fireplace in my bedroom :D :D
looks delicious! how about putting it thru panini press for a bagel panini, the filling works so well :)
Ashwini, Those food lines from Enid Blyton are etched in my memory. I didnt even know what scones looked like until my Dad got some from an Anglo-Indian bakery in Bangalore..Your write-up brought back some pleasant memories of my childhood, not to mention that I absolutely enjoy all your recipes(specially the traditional Mangalore ones) & just how beautifully you present them
Asha S
Madhu - this would work well with spinach, eggs or bell peppers
Shn - hah a co-French learner! Didn't you want to just kill Pierre at one point? ;-)
Priya - jalapeno bagel with jalapeno cheese? That'd jumpstart my day for sure!
Mythili - so good to see a Blyton fan. At least I stopped at scones..you wanted a fireplace??? I'd have loved to see your parents' expression!
Richa - the original recipe does call for grilling...go for it!
Asha - so Blyton got you out of lurkdom finally ;-) Thanks for your kind words...I pestered my dad too you know. And really scones aren't even all that great. The power of the pen I suppose :-)
Wow! such a great breakfast... I HAVE to try this and while I am eating this, I MUST have an Enid Blyton to read ;) I remember thinking of all the great treats Pierre and Henri enjoyed while we tried to learn french grammar in class...so not fair! ;)
i agree.. when i would watch tennis with my dad, i would be enamoured with strawberries and creme'.. i just thought it is so oo-la la...the bagel looks divine , tho not a mushroom fan, it still like the way the bagel looks :)
Ashwini,
Good to see u back in form. This breakfast looks delicious. I remember drooling while reading Enid Blyton..oohh, those ginger biscuits, sandwiches, and lemonade:)
Ashwini, the write up was good...As a kid, I kept drooling about 'Blancmange' after reading 'Little Women'..Ah..Good Old days! The bagel is scrumptious! A wonderful entry..
oh wow, that looks delicous... and I know exactly what you mean.. for the longest time I was craving pancakes and maple syrup :)
Awesome idea Ashwini. I like this instead of usual stacking of cold ingredients.
Ash that is a perfect breakfast or even lunch idea. Brilliant!
I have completely taken it the enid blyton way...u are so true about those books and food...u brought some fond memories back....the bagels look all brown and toasty...beautful pic
Ashwini, I would give up pancakes and Hash for this breakfast!:)
When we are on vacation, we were served this Bagels topped with Eggs scrambled with Cheese and Sausage and sometimes with Bacon bits and grilled.YUM!
Photo looks fabulous.
I just left a comment Ash, hope you got it!
Enid Blyton's Enchanted Wood, and the faraway tree always had me dreaming about pop biscuits and toffee.
I like the breakfast.
Have a look at my blog, there is something there for you.
Ashwini--Wow. That looks wonderful and decadent. Thanks for participating in breakfast blogging.
enid blyton did go on and on about food! i remember ending up raiding the kitchen in the noon to much along with the reading. nice breakfast!
That one looks delightful and yeah I have fantasised about being one of the secret seven or five find-outers as a kid - more about the treats Fatty used to buy the other four kids :)
Lovely bagel, and great way to add more nutrition to it rather than just cream cheese
I totally understand what you mean about Enid Blyton. I always get hungry whenever I re-read any of her books.
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