The bagel

This is short and sweet, as all good weekend lunches should be. We people need to get out and do things! Smell the roses, walk the dogs, visit our loved ones! Or alternatively, spend it hunched over your camera taking shots of cakes and soups, but with not a skerrick to eat. Enter bagel stage left.

We picked up a couple of bagels from the Coburg Farmers Market on Saturday from (relatively) new bagelers (that's what they're called, right?) Five n Dime. They don't have shopfront as such, but pop up regularly at markets in and around the northern suburbs. I'm no bagel expert, but in my opinionated opinion, these are the cat's pyjamas.

I had no cream cheese handy, but a jar of goats cheese with my name all over it (seriously, Matt can't be trusted). A pumpkin was gagging to be roasted and some roasted red capsicum was to good to leave alone. Stacked up in the bagel, this was a total home run. It was the kind of lunch you end up wearing, but that's A-OK. More for Ron. Did I ever tell you about the story of late meals at my college? When we were studying late at Uni, we were able to put our names down on a list for a late meal to be set aside for us. The boys would always sneak the name 'Ron' on the list, so they'd have a second meal for later on. Or Ron. Chef never twigged, but did remark how Ron was really unlucky with late classes.

So, bagels. I'm sold. No need to gussy them up too much: salmon and cream cheese, plain old butter or maybe a smear of vegemite (I never claimed to be classy). They're a perfect simple breakfast, lunch or brunch for when you're too busy with the things that matter. Like the correct angle and height for camera tripods. Or not.

Ingredients

1 bagel
2 tbsp goats cheese fetta
2 slices pumpkin
1 tsp olive oil
2 slices of roasted red capsicum (bottled is fine)

Preheat oven to 180ºC. Place the pumpkin on a roasting tray and smear with olive oil and salt and pepper. You can totally roast a whole pumpkin sliced up, and enjoy the pumpkin in salads all week. Roast for around 45 minutes or until soft.

Slice the bagel in half. Toast under a grill until golden brown. Smear with goats cheese. Top with pumpkin and the capsicum and sandwich with the remaining bagel half.

Enjoy (and wash your face afterwards).