Mornings, Saturdays

I love mornings; I love waking up to the idea of a meal - strawberries, eggs, together, separate, it doesn't quite matter. Because in the morning I'm an eating machine - anything I can rustle up, anything I can find, I will eat.

I love mornings, in theory.

What I don't like is having to wake up to the sound of the alarm - weekdays or weekends, to bells or music; I don't like having to sober up to the clang of frying pans and oven trays - they hurt my eardrums; and I do not like having to wash my dishes after making the meal - just give me the Hollywood version.


So I'll have my breakfast before I go to bed thank you, even though there clearly are advantages to being a morning person. On those rare occasions I do enjoy the untainted morning breeze that carries the illusion of having more hours in the day. If it so happens I am awake early on a Saturday morning, I enjoying beating the crowds to Borough Market, which is exactly what I did this Saturday past.

Borough on a Saturday is pleasant only before the eleventh hour, literally. Between the hours of nine and eleven, you get to shop without having to nudge anyone in the ribs, sample without having pairs of ravenous eyes and hands reach across you, and have your choice of the first offerings of the day. As you can see, that can make for quite an interesting bundle:


Among my findings were a summer fruit liqueur, a yellow courgette, white asparagus, fairy champignons, duck eggs and squid. Borough may not be the cheapest market around, but you do generally get what you pay for, if you select carefully and consciously. At Borough, the produce can be as local or as international as you would like it to be (from L. Booth to Utobeer), and as raw and prepared as you desire (ostrich meat to ostrich burgers). There is also the added value of the market being made up of mostly independent producers who have direct relationships with their products.

My bounty set me back £25. I consider that a bargain because that bought me the backbone of my meals for the week. Ironically, the backbone of my meal for the night was boneless.

Chilli-Garlic-Lemon Squid with Rice
Serves 2
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 10 mins

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• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 100g squid, cut breadth-wise into rings
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp chilli flakes or freshly cut chillies
• 1/4 tsp finely grated lemon rind
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 medium-sized bowls (approx 4 cups) of leftover rice - I had basmati

1. On medium heat, saute the garlic in butter.
2. Toss in the squid and add the oregano, lemon juice, lemon rind and chilli flakes if using. (if you're using freshly cut chillies add it in at the end of the cooking)
3. Let the squid simmer until it turns opaque and remove squid from heat. Season and toss in the cut chillies now if using. Retain half of the juices in pan.
4.In the leftover squid juices, saute the rice until just steaming.
5. Serve.

All Writing and Images © Celine Asril 2009