A sunny breakfast in Hove

This morning I chopped a perfectly ripe Alphonso mango, bought from the Sussex International Grocers on Portland Road (£5.50 for 6 – bargain,) and put it into a bowl with a large spoonful of greek yoghurt and a sprinkling of pumpkin and sunflower seeds, Marcona almonds and a few pistachios. Delicious.

I will of course be starving again in an hour when it will be time for a spot of Marmite on Chewy Brown toast. Chewy Brown bread is an institution now in Brighton, from the Real Patisserie. Though I believe there are fakes being baked on the streets of Hove…but more on that later as the baby is bored.

 

Porcini red rice (re-revised)

Ingredients

• Olive oil, a glug
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 clove garlic
• About 5g dried porcini mushrooms
• About half a 500g packet in total of mixed red and wild rice (I use ‘Red Camargue and Wild Rice’ from Waitrose)
• 1 chicken stock cube
• Enough water to cover

Method

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan such as a Le Creuset, if possible. Fry the garlic for thirty seconds with the bay leaf, then add the dried porcini mushrooms by breaking them into small pieces between your fingers. Stir.

Add the rice, which has been rinsed, and stir until the rice is coated in the oil, then crumble in the stock cube. Stir.

Pour in enough water to cover by about 1cm, and bring quickly to the boil, stirring a bit to incorporate the stock cube. Once it has reached boiling point, immediately reduce to the ring’s lowest setting and put the lid on. Simmer for about 3/4 of an hour (the pack recommends 1/2 an hour but this isn’t long enough for this method), until all the water has been absorbed. Fork through.

I serve this with white fish, fried mushroom and aubergine, and a steamed, seasonal, green vegetable.

It also goes well with Pot-roasted chicken in white wine and redcurrant jelly.

Serves 2-4.