I come bearing more Breakfast food...
...but crazy delicious breakfast food if I may add.
I know I've been really imbalanced with the types of food posted here. AKA lots of breakfast food, pasta, and sweets. Although, there is no such thing as too much breakfast food. But we're going to start something called "Brunch Sundays" on Apricots and Sage. Every Sunday, I'll post a new and delicious brunchy dish. This way, I'll be limited to post only one breakfast a week. Because trust me, I could post A LOT more.
So, to kick off "Brunch Sundays," we're making the most delicious savory breakfast bowls. We'll get into the details in a minute, but first, a little backstory...
I've always been really into "bowl food." Honestly, if you just throw a bunch of random food in a bowl, I swear it will taste 1000 times better than if it were all separated.
Knowing this, you can probably guess that I'm one of those people who mixes all of their food together. Especially at Thanksgiving... you better bet that I never fail to get at least one bite with everything. I'm talking turkey, gravy, dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, green beans, sauerkraut, any of the other random casseroles, and salad. And this "bite" usually comes sandwiched in between my grandmothers not-famous-yet-but-need-to-be hot buttery rolls. I look forward to that very interesting bite of food every single Thanksgiving.
The point is... I love food mixed together.
So it's no question that I love food all mixed together in a bowl. I'm pretty sure I've talked about this (many times) before on here, but just in case you don't happen to know that fun fact about me... there it is.
We also all know that I love breakfast food. It's by far my favorite meal of the day and if I could, I would have it for every meal. "Breakfast bowls" are the best kind of bowls there are, by the way. Yogurt, acai, fruit, oatmeal, smoothie, cereal, or whatever else you could possibly think of to be eaten out of a bowl trump any other "bowl food" and most normal breakfast foods.
As much as I am a sweet breakfast-y person, every once in a while I crave something not-so-sweet in the morning. Eggs and avocado, omelets, frittatas, breakfast sandwiches, savory crepes, hashes... all delicious, but none come in a bowl form-- easily, at least. Plus, eggs and avocado, while one of the best combos ever, can get repetitive and boring. And as I've found, it's kind of hard to make a savory breakfast bowl. I've done "savory oats" before, but it's really not my thing. So, I made it my mission to build the perfect savory breakfast bowl. Obviously, it includes a runny egg and loads of avocado, but there is much, much more to it.
Let's talk about what's in this bowl:
Ricotta
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (SO YUM)
Sunny Side Up Egg
Avocado
Crispy Smoky Chickpeas
Charred French Bread
Roasted Tomatoes
Feta
Fried Leeks
Aleppo Chile Flakes (any chili flakes will work)
Wow. Talk about a lot in one bite... I think my ultimate Thanksgiving bite has a little competition.
There are so many components to this, but they all work so well together! And to me, a good breakfast bowl is PACKED with flavor and different textures. You can never have too many toppings on anything--sweet or salty--it doesn't matter!
This pesto is to die for. I am a huge traditional pesto fan, but this sun-dried tomato one tops any other dip or sauce or pesto you will ever try. It's the perfect combo of salty, tangy, sweet, and spicy.
As for the Aleppo Chile flakes, we got ours from my mom's cousin's spice shop, but any chili pepper will do.
Besides being incredibly flavorful, all fo the colors are so pretty in this bowl. Almost too pretty to eat. Almost.
Savory Ricotta Bowls
Makes 4- with leftover pesto
For the pesto:
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (packed in olive oil)
- 1/2 cup olive oil (from the sundried tomatoes)
- 1 tbs. dried or fresh oregano (roughly chopped if fresh)
- 2 tsp. each: dried basil, black pepper, and salt
- 3 tbs. balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 lemon- juiced
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/3 cup walnuts
- 2 fresh garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
- olive oil (for consistency)
Blend all ingredients together in a food processor or blender until creamy, adding Olive Oil in, for consistency, to smooth it out. Add more salt/pepper/cayenne pepper for your taste.
Store in a jar in the fridge for up to two weeks.
For the chickpeas/tomatoes:
- 1 15 oz. can Garbanzo (chickpeas) beans
- 1 tbs. smokey chili spice rub (sub any chili spice rub or make your own: 1 tbs. each cocoa powder, chili powder, sea salt, black pepper; 1/2 tbs. each: granulated sugar, smoked paprika, chipotle chile powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano)
- 1/2 tbs. onion powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
- 3 tbs. olive oil
- a few bunches of Campari tomatoes (cocktail tomatoes)
Pre-heat oven to 400º.
Toss all the spices and olive oil and with the chickpeas on a baking sheet. Spread out evenly and bake for 30 minutes. Toss chickpeas and add tomatoes to the sheet. Lightly rub with more olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 10-15 more minutes, or until the chickpeas are crispy and the tomatoes have busted open slightly. Toss the chickpeas with a small sprinkle of sea salt.
Let cool.
To build the bowl:
- whole milk ricotta cheese
- 4 fried eggs- I like mine sunny-side up (sprinkled with salt and pepper)
- Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
- 2 avocados
- crispy chickpeas
- charred French bread (slice in half both ways, brush with olive oil, and grill (or broil) until toasty)
- roasted tomatoes
- Feta cheese
- fried leeks (thinly slice fresh leeks (horizontally) into small ribbons. Fry in a thin layer of vegetable or olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of a small pan) until golden brown. Let dry out on paper towels) OR sub this for fresh basil cut into ribbons
- Aleppo Chile Flakes (any Chili flakes will work)
- lemon zest
Spread each bowl or plate with about 1/4-1/3 cup of whole milk ricotta cheese. Add a couple of tablespoons of the pesto. Top each plate with an egg. Add 1/4-1/2 of an avocado (or as many slices as your heart desires). Add about 1/4 cup of the chickpeas and some roasted tomatoes. Finally, add a piece (or two) of charred bread, and top with a sprinkle of Feta, fried leeks (or fresh basil... or both), and chili flakes. Top it all off with a little bit of fresh lemon zest and dig in!
Seriously... this is the ULTIMATE savory breakfast bowl.
XOXO
Cecilia A.
