Egg lovers, rejoice: This week we’re talking breakfast for dinner, a beloved genre of cooking and a subject that several of you requested when I asked if you were interested last week. (Sample reader email in my inbox: “Brunch, brinner!! All breakfast edition YES!”)
I loved making the recipe list for this week’s newsletter because I so deeply love eggs — that breakfast star and an underappreciated dinner ingredient in the United States. In addition to being utterly delicious, eggs are easy to cook and cost-effective (especially compared with meat) and they keep well in the fridge. Why relegate them to breakfast and brunch?
But I also love pancakes: Lemon ricotta pancakes are difficult to top, though these are the best whole-grain pancakes I’ve ever tasted. Waffles have become a weekend favorite. Have you seen this photo of malawax? You’ll want to make those cardamom crepes immediately. And here’s my favorite granola recipe, heaven on a bowl of yogurt — and what I eat most mornings. (I omit the brown sugar and switch up the nuts and dried fruit, but it’s great as written.) So you can see how choosing just five recipes for this newsletter was a mouthwatering, if challenging, task.
All the recipes this week are vegetarian, though no one is stopping you from adding bacon.
Vegans, I haven’t forgotten you. You’ve written in to say you need breakfast ideas. There are two recipes for you below, but I also like this sweet-and-savory tofu scramble, and this soy-saucy variety, which is firmly in the savory column. There’s also this brilliant butternut squash congee with chile oil. We have a number of great incidentally vegan granola and overnight oats recipes, and an açai bowl and Bircher muesli, too. And there are always vegan pancakes.
1. Green Shakshuka With Avocado and Lime
This recipe from Sarah Copeland may have been inspired by shakshuka, which originated in North Africa, but the flavors sing of Mexico, with jalapeño, avocado and Cotija cheese. Serve with warm tortillas and a flick of hot sauce.
2. Sweet Potato Hash With Tofu
A vegan option from Ali Slagle: her sunny take on New England corned beef hash, which banishes all thoughts of frigid winter mornings. (If you’ve seen the new movie “The Holdovers,” you’ll know exactly what I mean.) Ali’s recipe gives you crisp, smoky potatoes and tofu, and it can easily be topped with eggs or cheese. Wrap leftovers in tortillas!
3. Miso-Butter Mushrooms With Silky Eggs
It’s no wonder this recipe comes from Hetty Lui McKinnon, NYT Cooking’s resident Australian. It’s full of all-day-cafe vibes, the kind they do so brilliantly in Melbourne and Sydney (where avocado toast made its first appearance on a menu). Be sure to try Hetty’s quick method for cooking ultra-silky eggs, and take her suggestion to stir spinach in with the mushrooms if you make this for supper.
4. Fuul (Somali-Style Fava Bean Stew)
Ifrah F. Ahmed’s version of this beloved stew is fragrant with cumin, black pepper, coriander, cinnamon and cardamom — the flavors of xawaash, the spice blend that graces so much Somali cooking. Ifrah calls for canned favas, which makes this as fast to make as it is delicious. Serve it with eggs!
5. Dutch Baby
It’d be wrong not to give you something sweet this week, and what better than the queen of brunch: the Dutch baby, a perfect recipe and something that feels a little more grand than ordinary pancakes, though it’s just as easy to make. This version comes from Florence Fabricant, and fruit is a great accompaniment. For a savory take, try this version with goat cheese and dill; for a dinner that’s truly outrageous, make this Dutch baby with bacon and runny Camembert.
