The Working Lunch #53
Upgrading the ordinary.
Hello again
How is your week ahead looking?
Despite having worked from home for many many years, my working hours, tend to naturally fall into a core Monday - Friday, 8-6. That doesn’t mean that I work 10 hours a day.
Where I flex most of my work-from-home flexibility is by taking a long lunch break. Two hours isn’t unheard of. It’s enough time to make and eat lunch, go for a walk, and even do a workout on some days before heading back to my desk.
On Fridays, my lunch break has started getting an upgrade. A trip to a local market. Followed by coffee at my favourite deli or maybe lunch out.
Last Friday, I bought fresh eggs and bread. Two basic lunch staples. Because basics are good, but good basics are better.
Something on toast…
Crispy chilli fried eggs
Upgrade your egg on toast
Egg on toast is a classic — and not just for breakfast. So quick. Inexpensive. Well-cooked eggs and perfectly toasted bread are nostalgic and comforting.
But sometimes you want more. Sometimes you want less ordinary.
These crispy chilli fried eggs are an upgrade to the ordinary.
Ingredients:
2 free-range eggs
Lao Gan Ma crispy chilli in oil
Vegetable oil
Grated hard Italian cheese
Bread for toasting
Spring onions, sliced (scallions)
To make:
Warm a couple of teaspoons of crispy chilli oil on low-medium heat in a non-stick frying pan.
Add a little more of regular cooking oil, so there’s enough to cook the eggs in and throw in a few sliced spring onions and a small handful of the grated cheese.
Carefully crack in each of the eggs. Cook on a low heat, so the eggs cook gently.
Meanwhile, slice and toast the bread.
When the eggs are cooked to your liking, serve on the toast, drizzling over the crispy chilli from the pan.
I love crispy chilli oil and have wanted to try crispy chilli fried eggs for ages. This is based on this cheesy version, but I think next time I’d go with some simple steamed rice instead of the toast and leave the cheese.
Simple swaps:
No cheese? No problem. There’s so much flavour in the crispy chilli.
No crispy chilli? Try regular chilli oil and add on something crispy like fried onions or toasted seeds.
Not keen on chilli but still want to upgrade your egg on toast? Try pesto eggs
Not feeling the love with this week’s lunch idea?
How about…
Bhaji butty or
Lunch chat
Here’s the rundown of my other lunches last week:
Red lentil, carrot & coconut soup — which I’m making on repeat until the spring. It’s so good.
Toasted sourdough bagel with avocado, bacon and sundried tomato.
Brie, cranberry and spinach sandwich on granary.
Houmous, spinach & sundried tomato sandwich on granary.
What about you? What do you do to give your lunch break an upgrade?
Don’t forget that you can tuck into the archives at any time.
Type an ingredient, meal or edition number in the ‘search box 🔍’
I had a very lazy lunch today: marmite on granary sarnie. I upgraded said sarnie by adding a bag of salt & vinegar crisps. Who doesn’t love a crisp sarnie?! 🤷♀️👌🏻