First and foremost – Happy Easter Sunday everyone!
Woke up in clean sheets under a nice-smelling duvet this morning. It definitely made my Easter morning great. Nothing quite like fresh sheets to put you in a festive mood right from the moment you wake up. To align myself with this start-the-day-right motto, I decided to have a cooked breakfast rather than the usual muesli and cold milk (which I honestly think is amazing) and a cup of tea. Savoury muffins are a good way to start if you’re looking for something like an English breakfast but aren’t too keen on fussing about with all the ingredients, having a large breakfast, greasing it up first thing in the morning, etc. The best thing is muffins are quite the independent lot and don’t need much attention or work on. You hardly ever need to mix them up completely because they continue to cook and mix about in their little cups/muffin trays in the oven. Overmixing causes them to go tough and rubbery in texture. The worst case scenario: rock buns (and I don’t mean those lovely scone-like pastries, but literally a rock creation). Muffins are the easy-to-handle, matter-of-fact, country-bumpkin type (no offense intended) cousin of the cupcake and despite my great infatuation for the latter, muffins were my first attempt at baking. I remember singing the Muffin Man song as I went about mixing the batter too. See, they’re so easy you can multi-task to it too. Awww. Well, if you’re just starting out in the kitchen, I reckon muffins are definitely the first thing you should try.
“Muffin…a term connected with moufflet, an old French word applied to bread, meaning soft….The word muffin first appeared in print in the early 18th century, and recipes began to be published in the middle of the 18th century. There has always been some confusion between muffins, crumpets, and pikelets, both in recipes and in name. ‘Muffin’ usually meant a breadlike product (sometimes simply made from whatever bread dough was available), as opposed to the more pancake-like crumpets…Muffins were most popular during the 19th century, when muffin men traversed the town streets at teatime, ringing their bells. In the 1840s the muffin-man’s bell was prohibited by Act of Parliament because many people objected to it, but the prohibition was ineffective…”
—Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999(p. 517)
Interesting trivia: American muffins are completely different to what we would know as the English muffin. The term ‘muffin’ only makes sense now because muffins (as we know them now) were introduced in England in the 19th century, promoted by large companies like Spacey’s and Britain’s own Cadbury’s . Muffins in England are those flat disc-like white, fluffy breads – very much similar to a crumpet with the bubbly bits in the middle instead of on the surface facing up. English muffins are eaten split into two, toasted and buttered. A great way to have them is Eggs Benedict or with grilled cheese on top of it. They are made with yeast and date back to the 10th and 11th centuries in Wales when ‘bara’ bread was cooked in circular muffin trays on a stove or bottom of a skillet. American muffins on the other hand are mini quick breads and need to be cooked in sturdy molds because they are made from a batter rather than a yeasty dough.
Although I classify these as muffins (because, well, they were meant to be), they turned out rather crispy and slightly scone-like which I think adds to the yummy factor of these babies. They’re crumbly, flavourful and light enough for you to have 2 at a go. How amazing is that? This recipe was inspired once again by Fergal Connolly’s 500 Cupcakes and Muffins. I’ll certainly be making these again, if not for breakfast then for a daytime snack or savoury treats for when guests come round. If you should like the original recipe, you can leave a comment and I’ll get back to you asap.
Courgette & Feta Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup plain flour
1 tbs baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
85ml olive oil + 30ml extra virgin olive oil
about 1/4 cup grated courgette
about 1/2 cup feta cheese, cubed
freshly grated black pepper
dried oregano
Preheat the oven to 175d Celsius and grease your muffin pans. This yields 6 regular sized muffins.
Whisk eggs with a small whisk, then add the oil in and mix till combined. Add the grated courgettes and cheese. Salt, pepper and oregano go in next. Finally, add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix till just combined. Do not panic if the batter is not be very wet but slightly doughy. Spoon batter into tray and bake for 30min.
They should be slightly browned and crispy to touch when done. A tester inserted should come out clean. Leave in tray for a minute to cool for added crispiness then remove and let cool on a plate. They smell amazing just to warn you so you might wanna be slightly cautious when tucking into these hot treats. Cooks get privilege for first taste!
I’ll be leaving one for Ben as an appetizer (not the best thing but it’s good enough for B-Boy) prior to Easter lunch – gotta work up an appetite for my lamb chops tonight. Awesome.
