For anyone that’s ever read or watched Lord of the Rings, you will remember the hobbits talking about “elevenses”. We call it brunch.
The word brunch appeared in print almost 120 years ago in the United States for the first time. “The latest ‘fad’ is to issue invitations for a meal called ‘brunch…a repast at 11 o’clock a.m.,” a column in the New Oxford, an old Pennsylvania newspaper said in 1986. By 1939, The New York Times declared Sunday a two-meal day and by the 1960s, brunch’s popularity had given rise to specific cookbooks.
Since then, Brunch has only grown in popularity. Over the previous decade, brunch has quickly overtaken breakfast, lunch and dinner as the most popular meal of the day, proving that the love affair with brunch is far from over.
So why is brunch so popular?
A traditional sit down family breakfast is no longer what is used to be. In today’s fast paced world, breakfast is usually quick dash, grab and go situation. And the answer to that? Brunch. A social event in its own right, Brunch is the perfect time to get the family around the table after a lazy lie in, or a chance for friends to cure Saturday’s hangover and discuss the outrageous events from the night before. Throw in the mimosa’s and champagne and its goes from brunch to fancy brunch!
Either way, brunch is here to stay. So this weekend sleep in and come join us for brunch! For inspiration, we are giving you a sneak peek to one of our popular brunch recipe.
ABOUT THYME MEDITERRANEAN BAKED EGGS
RECIPE:
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium red onion finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 2 red bullet chillis chopped
- 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 4 medium ripe tomatoes, blanched, skinned and chopped
- Salt and black pepper to taste
To finish:
- 8 large free-range eggs
- 200g coarsely crumbled feta cheese
- 2tbsp roughly torn fresh basil leaves
- 50g pitted black olives
- 1 red pepper seeded and sliced
- 1 medium red onion finely sliced
- Toasted pita bread to serve
Method:
Preheat oven to medium hot
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add chopped onion, garlic and chilli and cook stirring until the onion is soft (about 8 mins). Add the chickpeas, paprika & cumin and cook for a further few minutes before adding the chopped tomatoes. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens (about 15 mins). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spread the bottom of 4 ovenproof dishes with the sauce and crack 2 eggs into each spacing them evenly. Top with sliced red onions and red pepper and finish with the crumbled feta and olives. Transfer to the oven and bake until the whites are just set but the yolks are still runny (or to taste) about 10/15 mins. Garnish with the torn basil, serve with toasted pita bread and Enjoy!