Ask Dan Doherty: olive magazine interview

What is your favourite 15-minute recipe?

This is a recipe I picked up in Miami and it’s now our top-selling breakfast dish. Back in March 2012, when I was working at our sister restaurant Sugarcane in Midtown Miami, one of the Colombian chefs was making breakfast to aid his tender feeling after

a heavy night. He told us about a dish called ‘perico’, based on scrambled eggs, spring onions and tomatoes, which he loves to eat when hungover. I loved the lightness of it; in the UK, we tend to go heavy when in need of some TLC, but this was light and vegetarian. I added some ripe avocado and put the whole thing on toast, and a winner was born. (At the restaurant we offer grilled chorizo sausage or smoked salmon as an add-on.)

Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?

A microplane. It’s a really fine, sharp grater, perfect for making ultra-fine parmesan shavings, zesting lemons and grating things like horseradish. using one really makes a difference.

What is your favourite cooking method and why?

Old-school casserole. I love lazy Sunday afternoons where you throw some great ingredients together and allow them to make something beautiful. The smell of casserole is the best, too.

Try Dan Doherty's Colombian eggs recipe

15 minutes, serves 2, easy

This recipe for Colombian eggs is taken from Dan Doherty's book 'Duck & Waffle; recipes and stories'. It makes for the prefect light breakfast, plus it's ready in just 15 minutes. Try pepping it up with chorizo or smoked salmon, if you like.

unsalted butter 20g

spring onions 2, finely sliced at an angle

eggs 4, beaten

plum tomato 1, quartered, seeded
and cut into 1cm dice

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

sourdough bread 2 slices

avocado 1 ripe, cut into 5mm-thick slices

step 1

Melt the butter in a frying pan. When it’s foaming, add the spring onions and cook until soft, taking care not to let them burn.

step 2

Add the eggs and scramble lightly. Finish with the diced tomatoes and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

step 3

Toast the sourdough and lay the avocado on top. Spoon over the eggs, season again and serve.

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