Tartine Tuesday: Spanish Chorizo, Egg, and Chive Oil Tartines

I don't know if I'll ever adapt to the coffee and pastry regime that is the French breakfast. I love starting my day with a good stick-to-your-ribs breakfast of eggs and meat. Much like my scrambled eggs with créme fraîche and lardons recipe, I tried to use a little French inspiration to drive this more American-style breakfast. 

The French have an affinity for cured meats, and saucisson and chorizo make frequent appearances to the table. You can adapt this recipe to whatever cured meats you have on hand (I used saucisson rosette the other day), just make sure they are thinly sliced to make for easier noshing. For this recipe, I used a spicy Spanish chorizo, which balanced well with the slight sweetness from the bread and creaminess of the egg. Be sure to use a meat which is cured, and does not need to be cooked, unlike Mexican chorizo. This will make your morning a little bit easier; one less thing to cook, one less pan to clean!

Continuing my LifeGreens programme bien être, I am using an organic sprouted wheat loaf instead of regular bread for these tartines (introduced to me by the LifeGreens CEO himself). Sprouted breads have no added sugar, fat, or preservatives (literally, the ingredients in my loaf are: sprouted wheat, almonds, and orange blossom water), and helps to regulate your blood sugar and digestion.

The loaf I used for this recipe has whole almonds studded throughout, which gives the dense and sometimes "difficult to think of as bread" texture a welcome crunch. Toasting the slices also brings out the nutty flavors of the almonds and eliminates some of the gummy texture. You can find sprouted grain loaves in many different flavors in most specialty health food stores. The texture is quite unlike your everyday bread, and can take some getting used to, but the flavor is delicious and the health benefits are a plus!

P.S. - Best eaten with a knife and fork.

Chorizo, Egg, and Chive Oil Tartines

4 slices of sprouted wheat bread with almonds, toasted

100 grams (1/4lb) of thinly sliced spanish chorizo

4 eggs

1/2 bunch of chives, chopped

olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

salt and pepper, to taste

Using a mortar and pestle, grind the chopped chives and olive oil together just until a paste is formed. After you have a thick paste, whisk in about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to make the paste thin enough to drizzle on top of the tartines.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a medium frying pan (or non-stick pan) over medium-low heat. Crack the eggs into the pan and cook until the white part of the egg has set, about 3-5 minutes.

Place equal amounts of thinly sliced chorizo on each slice of toasted bread. Top with a sunny-side up egg and drizzle the chive oil over the top. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4.