devil’s nest

Lindsay Bareham’s week in recipes is fun reading – she talks about what she’s eaten and why and then provides you with the recipe. it has the same voyeuristic component that Nigel Slater’s kitchen diaries has, as well as most food blogs.

a description from a few weeks ago got stuck in my mind – she refers to an interview with Jon Hamm from mad men (this is a late find for David and I, we’re just nearing the end of series two and loving it), who, while being interviewed,  orders devil’s nest at a café in silver lake, a boho-chic part of la.  

it was described as “a scramble of avocado, sour cream and spicy sausage” which Lindsay used as the basis to create her recipe for “monday’s perfect home-alone supper… i make it with crisp fried chorizo, coriander, a dribble of sweet chilli dipping sauce and dollop of soured cream to complement the almost-guacamole and scrambled eggs.”

i couldn’t decide if it would be "a mess on a plate" or delicious. thankfully it was the latter and i was glad that i decided to risk it for breakfast on sunday. i fancy trying a chorizo version at some point soon but will probably use fresh chorizo sausages rather than the slices of cured meat.

devil’s nest - lindsay bareham’s scrambled eggs with avocado & chorizo (serves 1*)

50g sliced chorizo (optional)

1 ripe but firm avocado

1 lime

4 cherry tomatoes

a few sprigs of coriander

2-3 eggs

knob of butter

dribble of sweet chilli thai dipping sauce

1 tablespoon of soured cream

if you are using the chorizo, heat a frying pan while you halve the chorizo slices. scatter them into the hot pan — no need for oil — tossing for about 30 seconds, until crisp. tip on to kitchen paper to drain.

chop up to an avocado and scrape into a bowl. season generously with juice from the lime. quarter the cherry tomatoes. chop the coriander. mix the tomatoes and half the coriander into the avocado.

whisk the eggs and season with salt and pepper. melt the butter in a small pan and scramble the eggs in the usual way. stir in the chorizo (optional) and tip on to a plate. top with the avocado mixture and dribble with sweet chilli sauce. scatter over the remaining coriander and a dollop of soured cream; or crème fraîche.

accompany it with bruschetta - toast a slice of sourdough bread, rub with a clove of garlic and dribble with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

* i used five eggs but the same quantities of everything else and it was ample as a breakfast for two