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10 Legs in the Kitchen

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10 Legs in the Kitchen

Tag Archives: breakfast

Lamb Belly Breakfast Pizza (slash) Gyro

18 Saturday Mar 2017

Posted by Stacey Bender in the kitchen

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

breakfast, Breakfast pizza, Brunch, Eggs, Gyro, Karam's garlic sauce, Rain Shadow Meats

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Imagine this:

You step outside your office into a crisp, rain-driven evening. A quick walk around the corner and through the cobbled square leaves you standing in front of a door, that once inside, is like a glimpse into past meets present; a fabulous butcher shop (slash) hip, industrial luncheonette. It is Friday night, so the bustling lunch has transitioned to the traditional tasks of cutting meat and doing business.  Stepping out of the rain as you remove the fashionable hat shielding the wet from your head, the cool air, all at once, turns warm and inviting, and better yet, dry!

There is a woman standing in front of the counter. She has dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and is wearing a Seattle-stylish outfit in gray and black, tall boots, smart hat and long tailored jacket with just enough sluff to be part of the casual, fun crowd. She is having a conversation with the tall, boyishly charming, young man who is behind the counter. He is slicing a beautifully marbled slab of beef into delicate, thin slices, effortlessly as if he is entertaining a guest at a dinner party. They know each other, you imagine, as their conversation is friendly and familiar.

The man briefly looks up and you are greeted, by name. You smile and turn to the women to ask her what she will be making with her slices of steak?  “Stir fry,” she says. “What is the cut of meat you are slicing?” the women asks the man.  “The Denver cut,” he replies. You had never heard of that cut prior to visiting Rain Shadow Meats but had considered buying it the week previous, settling on the thick rib-eye instead.

He wraps up the woman’s package and effortlessly begins preparing another as the conversation continues. You occupy yourself by eyeing the glass case, carefully assessing each plate of meat and pulling menus together in your head.

As the woman finishes up and pays for her packages, she finishes her story and tells the man that she will see him again soon. With that, she gathers up her goods and shoots you a quick smile before dashing out the door into the night.

Russ turns his smile to you and has already guessed as to what you will choose first. It is the steak sitting in the corner of the case, looking so enticing with it’s perfect coat of preserved lemon and parsley protecting the tender meat within. You have gotten this before and have come back more than once for more.

“It is the Denver cut this time,” he discloses, “not the ounglet” (the onglet is your favorite).

“I will take two” you reply.

“You won’t be disappointed.” he assures you, and you know you won’t be.

As you finish up your order and are about to check-out, you notice something you hadn’t seen before; lamb bacon. With breakfast in mind, you were going to ask for pork bacon but after a quick chat with Russ and then yourself, you decide you need to try the lamb bacon while it was in supply. Russ says they either have plenty or none; they make it in-house and when they run out, it can be awhile before they have more.

Russ says it starts out tasting of bacon then turns to a unique flavor instead.  It is essentially cured lamb belly, just as pork bacon comes from the belly of the pig. As he slices the six pieces requested, you are reminded of pancetta with the round form and swirling of fat and meat. Russ has a client that buys this to make gyros for dinner.  Carrying a bag filled with a dozen eggs, two thick-cut pork chops, steak, ground beef, the lamb belly, and a container of pickled onions, that is the last thought you have as you walk out the door.

p_pups napping

(…gyro, gyro, gyro).

As you fall asleep that night, lamb bacon invades your dreams and in the distance you can hear the echo of the word gyro (…gyro, gyro, gyro). The next morning as sit with your morning coffee, you begin to think about breakfast. Without hesitation, you go to the freezer, pull out some naan and begin mindlessly fixing a lamb belly bacon pizza / (slash) gyro.

Starts out like bacon, turns into something else.

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Lamb gyro (slash) breakfast pizza (serves 4)

This is an easy breakfast that is even easier if you use store-bought hummus, garlic sauce and romesco.  If you can’t find lamb bacon, substitute lamb sausage or ground lamb formed into oblongs, flavored with cumin, salt and pepper.  It starts out looking like a pizza, fold it up and you have a breakfast gyro.

INGREDIENTS

4 dime thick slices lamb bacon (lamb sausage or gyro meat if you can’t find the bacon)

4 pieces mini stone fired flatbread or naan

4 TB hummus (make your own or use your favorite purchased brand; I like Wholefoods brand)

2 TB Romesco sauce (make your own or purchase your favorite brand such as this)

Karam’s Lebanese Garlic sauce (It can be shipped within the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii)

4 eggs (salt, pepper for seasoning, butter for cooking)

Parsly for garnish

PREPARATION

  1.  Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Put the lamb bacon slices on a baking sheet and cook until slightly browned and cooked through, approximately 10 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
  2. Put the flatbread in the oven to heat through. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. They should be soft, slightly browned and hot. Put them in a warming drawer, or wrap in slightly moistened paper towels to heat again in the microwave before plating. You could, alternatively, put them in the toaster just as you begin cooking the eggs.
  3. Heat a little butter in a skillet and fry the eggs to your liking (season with salt and pepper but go light on the salt as the bacon is salty too).
  4. As the eggs finish, put one flatbread on each of four plates. With a small rubber spatula or butter spoon, spread approximately 1/2 TB Romesco sauce over each, followed by 1 TB hummus over each.
  5. Put one slice of bacon over top of each flatbread and squirt some garlic sauce over top.

p_in process

6.  Top with an egg and garnish with some parsley. Eat it as a pizza or fold it over to make a gyro.

p_runny yolk bitten

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That was tasty!  Time for a nap.

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Time for a spa day…

 

Operator, I’d like a German Oven Pancake please.

02 Sunday Oct 2016

Posted by Stacey Bender in Breakfast/Brunch, Ginger + Buddy, the kitchen

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Betty Crocker, breakfast, Brunch, Buddy and Ginger Bender, the Telephone Game

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Do you remember the game Operator? It is now known as the telephone game (so I am told); a silly game that we used to play as kids where everyone sits around in a big circle (usually during a sleep-over or birthday party) and one person whispers something into the person’s ear next to them, and that person in turn, whispers the same thing into the next person’s ear, who then repeats it to the next person, and so on.  By the end of the circle, the last person is to repeat what they heard out loud.  The original statement might have started out saying, “Hey neighbor, your cat’s on our fence.”  But the last person to hear it might have heard, “Hey dummy, your elephant is in our backyard.” or some such nonsense.

The point is, as things get passed down, they get reinterpreted, mis-told or misunderstood.  The small details or misconceptions can end up having significant impacts on the final outcome.  I thought of that game this morning as I went to make brunch.  We were down in Hoodsport three weekends ago (as you already know), and my mother-in-law made a wonderful brunch.  It was a German Oven Pancake which came from the oven puffed-up and delicate.  We slathered it with a little butter then topped it with maple syrup (except silly Tom, who decided to make it savory by coating his in ground pepper).  We also had sausages and a plate of fresh fruit.  And mimosas, of course.  The pancake seemed almost crepe-like.  Oh and I do love a good crepe.  This was a good (crepe) pancake!

As we were leaving, Lois ran upstairs and copied the recipe for me, which she had  hand-written on a recipe card, copied from Tom’s cousin Karen.  I didn’t look at it but thanked her, folded it in half and tucked it into a magazine that I was planning to read on the road (home).

The following weekend, I decided I wanted to make the oven pancake for breakfast.  I pulled out the magazine (which I still haven’t read, because it had been in the trunk of our car) and unfolded the recipe.  The copy was very faint and difficult to read.  Tom sat in the daylight (aging eyes struggling), trying to decipher the writing, reading it off to me, stumbling over some of the words and I typed what he said (sic):

“German Oven Pancake – serves 2-4 (or is that a 6?)
1/2 cup flour, sifted, 3 slightly-beaten eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 2 tsp butter or margarine (what?!), melted, 1/4 tsp salt, something, something, confectioner sugar or lemon juice butter.

  1. Add flour to eggs, beating with rotary beater.  Stir in milk, melted butter and salt.  Thoroughly grease bakers joy baking dish pour into mold dish, bake at 450-degrees for 15-17 minutes.  It will get puffy.  Loosen at wide spatula.

     2.  Add butter to flour and eggs then add milk and salt.  Can pour over canadian bacon.”

Seriously, that looks better than what he said.  It mostly made sense, only because I had sat down to brunch with her as she explained that you could sprinkle confectioners sugar over the top, but she didn’t do that.  She also mentioned something about pouring it over Canadian bacon to make it savory.  Which, again, was not done.  If I had just taken the card and tried to follow the recipe, I would have had many more questions.  As it were, my only questions were these:

  1. Does this not use baking powder?
  2. What kind of dish do I bake it in?

I texted over those questions but was inpatient as I was in the thick of my execution and decided to Google, “German Oven Pancake” instead.  The first page that came up was from the Betty Crocker website.  Seeing that the only cookbook my husband, Tom, came to me with was a later edition of the original Betty Crocker cookbook that he had in college (and I don’t think ever used, but he claims Pete did), I suspected it was quite possible that Betty was the first person in the circle to kick-off our little game of Operator.

So it might have started out with Betty saying, “Operator, I’d like a German Oven Pancake, please.”  And I might have finished it by stating, “Operator, I’m a German with a Pancake to Please.”  Finally!  I’m ashamed to admit, it has taken me three tries.

German Oven Pancake (or so I am told)

Adapted from Lois (Bender) Casto via Karen (Bender) Lieberman, via Betty Crocker (maybe?)

Needless to say, my first attempt at this a few weekends ago was not a success.  I think it was because I used whole wheat flour since I did not have any all-purpose flour.  I used almond milk rather than cow’s milk, but it might also have been my choice of pan (Tom says sure, blame it on the pan).  I had not waited for my mother-in-law to respond to my email before heading into the kitchen.  Betty had told us to heat a cast iron skillet before pouring the batter in.  After I did this, I got the email from Lois telling me specifically not to use a hot pan.  I also decided to make it savory, using proscuitto.  Tom thinks it tasted more like a “real” whole wheat pancake.  Not what I had in mind, but edible.

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I treated it a bit like Margharita (not the best choice)

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The proscuitto was tasty.

The following weekend, I thought I might borrow a cup of all-purpose flour from my neighbor Piotr (who was away on job assignment; we were tending to his mail and his garbage).  Turned out he too was with whole wheat flour only (good boy).  So this time I used a cold pan, but still had the wrong flour.  Admmitablely, it looked prettier and (sort of) puffed up but it was a bit dense and not that great (BTW Piotr, your flour is stale).

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Puffy, yes.  Flour, a tad stale.

So now this time, I did use all-purpose flour, but had to use Greek yogurt (thinned with water) instead of milk (yup, you guessed it, I had no milk).  My cake did not bubble up, nor did it get pouffy, like a soufflé (as Lois’ did), but the flavor was spot on!  More eggy than cake-like, fluffy, light and a perfect partner for maple syrup, butter and sausage (and not appropriate for pepper).

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Ahhhh, success (even if the picture tells a different story).

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Prepare

Heat an oven to 450-degrees.

Butter a baking dish (preferably glass).

Whisk the milk, butter and salt into the eggs

Slowly, whisk in the flour being careful not to over-mix

Pour into the prepared baking dish and cook for 15-17 minutes.  It should puff up, but even if it doesn’t, it should still taste quite good.  Divide amongst four plates, put a dollop of butter on top and pour some warm maple syrup over.  Serve with fruit and breakfast sausage if desired.  A mimosa washes it down well (as often he case).

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Can I have some too?

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Anyone gonna’ eat that last bite?  I will, even if I’m about to lose a toof.  Did someone say toof fairy leaves treats?

 

 

 

Three birds, one stone

18 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by Stacey Bender in the kitchen

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

avocado, Banana pancakes, breakfast, grilled citrus

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…or should I say, three cooks, one recipe?

I am intrigued with going back to camp (nostalga). You know the camp for kids as seen on Meatballs with Bill Murray? Frighteningly similar to the camp that I used to attend with my brother Scott when we were young. The kind with cabins and camp counselors (experiencing growing pains, not the show Growing Pains but the actual pains from growing). Lakes and mess halls, and the time I proclaimed to be allergic to eggs. No swimming for me with my broken arm, bee stings and my brother’s best friend for whom I had an enormous crush. Humiliation, exhilaration and fresh air. Making friends and fitting in, missing home and growing up.

Fast-forward to adulthood and here I am, faced with the opportunity to camp. Old school, with fellow food bloggers. Seems perfect, right? Instead of immediately signing up, I wrote to a camp alumni, “Mimi Avocado“, who by-the-way, gave it emphatic accolades. While looking to her for thoughts on the camp, I came across a post she had for banana pancakes made only with banana and egg. I always seem to have an over-ripe banana(s) in my fruit bowl. And there it stays, with the best intentions of using for bread, until it is finally so past it’s prime that it is crawling out of it’s own skin. Then, and only then, I reluctantly throw it into the yard waste bin.

I came by this pancake recipe awhile ago and the intention of making these pancakes emerged again on Saturday, when I faced the demise of yet another unsuspecting banana. That morning, I had also just found out that another fellow blogger, Simon, eats his pancakes sprinkled with sugar and topped with lemon juice. Intriguing, right? Well, as a test, I decided to make the banana pancakes, topped with avocado (for Mimi…avocado, get it?), rather than butter, and instead of maple syrup, lime juice from a grilled lime. The result was actually quite tasty, although I will say, they are extra delicious with real butter and maple syrup, but what’s the fun in that?

Banana pancakes with avocado and grilled citrus
Adapted from Mimi Holtz and Simon Johnson
Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

1 very ripe banana
2 eggs

1/2 avocado
1/2 lime (or lemon) cut into 2 pieces
1/2 tsp natural sugar

PREPARE

In a medium mixing bowl, mash the banana (skin removed) with a fork.
Add the eggs and break them up with the fork. With a hand mixer on high, beat for 1 minute until they are well-mixed and beginning to fluff.

On a hot, oiled griddle. Spoon out the batter into whatever size you prefer. Add the limes to the griddle. Cook cakes for several minutes until slightly browned, then turn over for a few minutes more.

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Divide amongst two plates and top with a few slices of avocado. Squeeze over a little juice from the grilled lime (or lemon) and sprinkle with sugar.

20140318-163701.jpgI know, this lime is raw, just checking to see if you are paying attention.

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Disclaimer: Tom does not endorse these cakes, yet they are Ginger, Buddy & Stacey approved!

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