Category Archives: breakfast

Chorizo & Chips Huevos Rancheros

Posted by Dave in breakfast, potatoes, texmex and tagged with , , ,

Chorizo & Chips Huevos Rancheros

I’m not a “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” kinda guy. I don’t often eat breakfast, owing to the fact that I start the day later than most of you. :)
But, if I’m not going to have lunch, a big breakfast is in order.

Here’s one of my huevos rancheros variations.
(Triple-Decker Huevos Rancheros is my pièce de résistance.)

This morning, to serve just myself, I fried 3 sliced multi-colored small potatoes in canola oil, seasoned with salt & pepper and minced garlic at the end, so as not to burn the garlic.
Making potato chips in a pan is a bit tedious, but a texture somewhat crisp is achievable; use a big pan on medium to medium-high heat, and arrange the potato slices so that they don’t overlap much, and flip them periodically. A very thin, metal spatula works well.

A mild, mexican (uncooked) chorizo.

Meanwhile, I fried 3-4 oz. mild mexican chorizo, crumbling it as it browned. While both the chips and chorizo drained on paper towel to soak excess oil, I scrambled 2 eggs in the chorizo pan, and stirred in a bit of sour cream and chives when the eggs were done.  Adding a cream or sauce to scrambled egg, just when done, lowers its temperature immediately to help prevent overcooking.

I served it topped with hot sauce and chopped chive.
How is it?  It’s hard to beat potatoes, eggs, and sausage for breakfast… or lunch. :)

Huevos Rancheros with Mild Chorizo & Garlic Potato Chips

P.S. If breakfast were a country, this would be its flag:

Flag of the Republic of Breakfast

Egg Foo Young

Posted by Dave in asian, breakfast, vegetarian and tagged with , , ,

Egg Foo Young

Here’s a simple Chinese classic for breakfast, or anytime, and a welcome alternative to an omelet or the same old scrambled egg.

Egg foo young always reminds me of my father, long passed-away.
When I was a child, my parents weren’t adventurous with food, but once in a while we’d get take-out Chinese food and I recall them always getting a box with egg foo young in gravy.  My dad didn’t believe in delivery, so it was always a treat to ride with him to pick up the food.  (This was probably also a welcome respite for my mom waiting at home.)  My dad had developed a rapport with the restaurant owner, and they would joke and laugh.  This often resulted in something extra for free and I was intrigued by their friendship and tiny bit of human color and cultural diversity in the midst of our whiter-than-white part of the midwest.

Anyway, I never order egg foo young when I’m eating out now, so it’s possible that I haven’t had it in decades – until this afternoon.

For this dish I made two servings of the following ingredients: eggs (4, beaten, with a touch of salt and pepper), whole bean sprouts, finely chopped scallion, chopped baby bella mushroom, and finely shredded napa cabbage.

Mix those ingredients in a bowl, measure out a half cup per patty, and poor slowly into a generous amount of hot canola oil, between 1/8″ and 1/4″ deep, in a fry pan over medium-high heat.  Immediately use a fork to pull the egg at the edges toward the center, so that the patty doesn’t spread too thin.  Cook perhaps 2 minutes, then carefully flip the patty over and cook the other side likewise, until the egg and ingredients are cooked in the center.  Remove patties and drain on paper towels.  I made 2 patties at a time, for a total of 4 patties.

Meanwhile, prepare a sauce or gravy in a separate pan;  combine a stock (1/2 cup, e.g., from water and chicken bouillon granules), brown sugar (1 t.), soy sauce (~1 T.) hoisin sauce (~1 T.).   Heat this mixture, stirring to dissolve ingredients, then add corn starch slurry; to thicken sauce, heat just to a boil while stirring then remove from heat.

I served each patty atop a bed of pea shoots, then topped it with sauce and scallion greens.

Leftovers?  No problem – make a St. Paul Sandwich!

Here are some recipes I consulted:

Poached Eggs Italia

Posted by Dave in breakfast, meat and tagged with , ,

Poached Eggs Italia

Sourdough topped with sliced Parmesan Reggiano, sliced heirloom tomato, oregano, sliced scallion. Toasted in toaster oven, along with slices of dry salami sliced into strips, to brown slightly. Once toasted, topped with poached egg, salami strips and scallion greens.

Inspired by this recipie for Poached Eggs Caprese: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/poached-eggs-caprese/detail.aspx

Skillet Pizza Potatoes and Fried Egg

Posted by Dave in breakfast, vegetarian and tagged with , ,

Skillet Pizza Potatoes and Fried Egg

This morning I made “pizza” potatoes with sliced red potatoes and lots of favorite pizza toppings (strips of salami, red onion, mushroom, olives) and spices (oregano and fennel seed) and fresh vegetables (tomato, pimento and other peppers)… topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano, red pepper flakes, and a bit more oregano. It was quite nice and now the house smells like pizza! :-)

Scrambled Egg with Kyopoolu

Posted by Dave in breakfast and tagged with , , ,

Scrambled Egg with Kyopoolu

Food pantry essential of the day: Kyopoolu

(or Kiopoolu or Kyopolou, a.k.a. Ajvar). It’s a relish from the Balkans made of bell pepper, eggplant and garlic. You can buy a red pepper variety, from Bulgaria, for ~$2 a jar at Trader Joe’s where they simply call it “Red Pepper Spread,” i.e.,
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/trader-joes-pantry-essential-red-pepper-spread-129069

Here I made scrambled egg with Kyopoolu stirred in at the end – perhaps a tablespoon per 2 eggs. It’s delicious (resulting in a sort of sweet version of the Iranian dish mirza ghasemi), but I also love it on panini, as pizza sauce, mixed into hummus, etc.

I usually make my scrambled egg like Chef Gordon Ramsay’s Sublime Scrambled Eggs.  Rather than creme fraiche, I usually add a bit of sour cream and/or Kyopoulou or tzatziki (sans cucumber).