Performing insect begged for food (4,8)
I believe the answer is:
eggs benedict
'food' is the definition.
(eggs Benedict is a kind of food)
'performing insect begged' is the wordplay.
'performing' indicates an anagram.
'insect'+'begged'='insectbegged'
'insectbegged' is an anagram of 'EGGS BENEDICT'.
'for' is the link.
(Other definitions for eggs benedict that I've seen before include "Dish served on toast" , "Dish with ham on toast" , "Breakfast dish with hollandaise sauce" , "snack" , "food" .)