There are two kinds of weekend breakfasts: the kind where you’re either up late enough, or hungover enough, that garlicky guacamole sounds A-OK, and the kind where you have to make do with a slice of avocado and a couple twists of black pepper. This past weekend we fell somewhere in between. We wanted morning guac that didn’t taste like lunch exactly. We settled on a fusion sauce that ended up making one of the squishier breakfast tacos ever: a fennel infused avocado whip, slightly sweet from being braised in liquor. You can spice-poach a couple cage-free farmers market eggs for an ovarian indulgence, but frankly the potatoes, favas and green whip make a fest on their own.
A.M. Tacos
(Serves 2)
3 Tbs. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 shallot, peeled
4 small potatoes
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh fava beans
2 organic, cage-free eggs (optional)
4 corn tortillas
tomatoes for garnish
salt and pepper to taste
1. Start by cooking up some potatoes as a base for your tacos. Either bring a small pot of salted water to boil and add taters for 8 mins, or nuke ‘em in the microwave for about 2:35. Then heat olive oil in a skillet and add chopped garlic, shallot and potato. Stir and let cook for about 15 minutes or until crisping and browning. Add parsley and keep warm while the rest cooks.
2. Peel fava beans from their pod. Bring a small pot of salted water to boil. Add favas for about 4-5 minutes, or until tender enough to remove the second skin. Peel by holding between thumb and forefinger and gently tugging at outer shell. Set aside.
Avo Whip
1 fennel bulb
4 Tbs. vermouth
2 avocados
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 lemon
2 Tbs. parsley, chopped
3. Whip morning guacamole starting with roasting a fennel bulb. Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a shallow pan place fennel bulb, sliced in half, with open folds face down. Top with vermouth (white wine or sherry works too) and braise for 15-20 minutes or until all liquid evaporates and face down gets slightly crisped black. Remove. In a mixing bowl combine fennel bulb and excess juices, avocado, olive oil, zest the lemon and juice half of it into bowl as well. Add chopped parsley and mix with a handheld mixer or else use a food processor. Blend until thoroughly whipped.
4. If doing it non-vegan, prepare a bath for poaching your egg: 3 cups of water, 1 bay leaf, salt and pepper, 1 Tbs. of cider vinegar. Bring to a rolling boil, crack egg and let poach for about 5 or 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, bring egg to surface and inspect for cooked yolkage.
5. Serve with heated corn tortillas on bottom, potatoes, whipped avo, poached egg and finally fava beans on top.
Beverage: Cooper’s Sparkling Ale
Soundtrack: Lloyd & Michael’s “When the Morning Comes”
