MITCH IN THE KITCHEN

oeufs en meurette

I used to dismiss poached eggs as something too fussy for me to make at home, and I would like to recant. They are less splattery than fried eggs and cook just as quickly. Having said that, I went a little beyond basic and cooked them in red wine, like I had at Balthazar one time. A pared-down recipe is here. Though it isn’t exactly traditional (I think the real deal requires a more complex sauce that gets spooned over the top), I appreciate its simplicity, especially after finding more proper recipes that require way more ingredients (herbs, beef broth, mirepoix). Best use of old, leftover wine and stale bread yet.

chilaquiles with eggs

Turning leftovers (perhaps Cinco de Mayo leftovers?) into breakfast is a practical way to go, especially when the delicious end result is chilaquiles. Stale tortillas (or tortilla chips) are bathed in a simple tomato sauce (or other leftover sauces) along with leftover meat. I had an outstandingly pleasant brunch (no waiting for a table, lots of sunshine, unlimited coffee refills) with Nicole last weekend where I enjoyed a plate of chilaquiles that were juuuust pliable enough to wipe up every last bit of sauce and runny egg yolk. I couldn’t wait to try it at home since I happened to have old tortilla chips, leftover canned tomatoes, and an opened can of chipotle chiles.

For the sauce: Puree tomatoes (juice and all) with chopped onion, garlic, chipotle chiles, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of honey (or sugar). Add sauce to a pan with a bit of oil and heat through over low heat. Add a bit of broth to thin out the sauce if it gets too thick (you want the sauce to coat the tortillas/chips).

Next, add fried corn tortilla pieces or tortilla chips and leftover cooked meat (optional) that’s been shredded or chopped. Toss just enough to coat. Put mixture on a plate and add crumbled cotija cheese (or you could sprinkle a melty cheese on top and broil it quickly), sliced radishes, chopped onion, and sour cream if you’d like. Then top it all off with a runny fried egg and fresh cilantro.

shanghai noodles with bacon and eggs

After returning to New York, I immediately went on a shopping spree in Chinatown to stock up on Chinese New Year supplies and other things that I hope will help me cope with how much I miss the food in Taiwan (when I can’t get out to Flushing, that is). Funny though, I also got a shipment of nice-looking bacon in the mail. What to do?

Jumble everything together, of course.

about 8 ounces fresh Shanghai (thick) noodles
3 strips bacon
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2-inch segment of ginger, minced
3 dried shiitake mushrooms (soak them in water for several hours beforehand), or a handful of fresh ones, or a mixture, sliced
lots of baby bok choy, halved lengthwise
1 scallion stalk, cut into 1-inch segments
3 eggs

for the sauce:
1 teaspoon corn starch
1 cup water or broth (or the water you soaked the dried mushrooms in)
1 tablespoon soy sauce (I mixed the dark kind and the light kind)
1 teaspoon rice wine
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Combine sauce ingredients and set aside.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook noodles according to package directions. When noodles are done, drain them and toss with a bit of sesame oil so they don’t stick together. (I try to time things so that the noodles are done cooking riiiight when I need them but this doesn’t always go as planned. But it’s always worth a shot.)

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large pan over medium-low heat until crisp (but not burnt!). Set aside on a paper towel. Remove most of the bacon fat, leaving enough to barely coat the surface of the pan.

Turn heat up to medium. Add garlic and ginger. After a few seconds, add mushrooms and stir them around. Cook for a few minutes or until mushrooms are lightly browned (if you’re using fresh ones). Add bok choy and cook until the leaves are a bit wilted.

Cut bacon strips crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Add to vegetable mixture, along with scallions and sauce. Add noodles and coat them evenly with sauce. When sauce begins to thicken, push noodles aside and add the eggs to the pan, scrambling them a bit. Scrape them around. When eggs are mostly cooked, mix them into the noodles.

breakfast pizza

Eggs on pizza can be a very good thing, as I learned at ABC Kitchen a few months ago while devouring brunch (mushroom and oregano pizza with a runny egg plopped in the center). I had also seen this and this. I let egg yolks run all over so many of my meals on a regular basis, so why not pizza too? I finally did one lazy and hazy weekday morning sometime during the lull between the end of my summer class and the beginning of a trip to the West coast. It may also become a de facto dinner pizza.

Adding the egg(s) is basically the very last step before you shut the over door if you’re gonna do this. It helps to make some kind of nest out of cheese or vegetables to hold the egg in (as you can see in the photo above, I should’ve formed some kind of tomato barricade). It also helps to crack the egg into a small ramekin or juice glass or something, then carefully dump it on top of the pizza. Bake the pizza as you normally would. The egg yolk should stay runny.

scallion pancakes, again

As much as I love Chinese-style scallion pancakes, I am taking a break from them. During my most recent practice session, I muttered obscenities at a batch of overly sticky, uncooperative dough and emerged from the kitchen soaked in sweat, defeat, and a greasy oniony smell.

I still have a whole lot of scallions left though, so thank goodness Korean cuisine gave us pajeon. These pancakes require no rolling of dough, and you can dump all kinds of seafood, meat, and vegetables into them. At their simplest, all you need is flour, water, salt, and an egg. Pajeon is so easy that I made it as a quick stay-at-home lunch before getting on with the rest of my day. I’m not so good at flipping these in one big piece, but that’s ok. The main drawback is that I hunger for a full Korean barbecue spread afterwards (some kind of associative craving… Korean BBQ has always been with a big fun group of friends).

Step-by-step instructions with photos are here. You could also add the beaten egg directly into the batter.

Previously: kimchi pancakes

wilted kale and roasted potato salad

I am not the biggest fan of raw kale salads (or other dark leafy greens served uncooked) but this recipe from Epicurious may have won me over. I found cheap (2 for $3) bunches of young-looking kale at the farmers’ market, with thin stems and leaves the size of my hand. It’s a wintry dish but also a good way to use storage potatoes and smaller kale in the spring and early summer. What makes it a winner is the balance of textures and flavors: crunchy, slightly bitter and slightly sweet kale; crisp, warm, and earthy roasted potatoes crusted with salty cheese; a tangy, garlicky, and nutty dressing; and I threw a soft-boiled egg on top (because I love putting eggs on things). Full disclosure: I suck at peeling boiled eggs at home (or the ones I use just aren’t old enough), which is why you’re looking at a pitted albumen.

By the way, today is kale-lover Nancy’s birthday, so this post is dedicated to her.

egg, potato, asparagus, and cheddar sandwich

I can only speak from my own experience, but this is the type of sandwich that is perfect as a light dinner after you spend a sunny afternoon outdoors, eating burritos and splitting an entire pitcher of margaritas with your friend Nicole who is now a freshly minted Juris Doctor (!). Cooking while tipsy usually goes surprisingly well for me (cf. spaghetti with Ashwin) and this was no exception: no cuts, no burns, no mess, and good food.

To make it: Toss trimmed asparagus spears and sliced potatoes (about 1/4-inch thick) with oil, salt, pepper, and hot paprika. Roast in a 425-degree toaster oven until lightly browned. Fry an egg, then top it with a slice of cheddar cheese to let it melt in the pan. Stack everything on a split and toasted roll.

jean-georges’ fried rice

This is a French chef’s take on fried rice, that Chinese staple that I rely on to make delicious use of leftover rice and assorted odds and ends.

Yang zhou fried rice is commonly found on restaurant menus, but one of my favorite combinations was (is? it’s been awhile) rice with diced ham, scrambled eggs, corn, tomatoes, and get this, ketchup mixed into the rice during cooking. A blogger named Pei sums it up better than I can. It’s also a little bit like Japanese omurice. Another wacky fried rice I make is with cashews, pineapple chunks, fresh hot peppers, greens, and a squirt of lime. And then there’s my grandmother’s version that starts with a well-seasoned wok and several cloves of crushed garlic in a puddle of hot oil. The garlic infuses the oil (and your clothes and maybe even your home) with that wonderful kicky aroma, which then coats each grain of rice that hits the pan.

Anyway, back to Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s fried rice. Mark Bittman wrote about it a year ago in the New York Times, and I finally got around to trying it. I was a little put off by having to cook everything separately but in the end, I couldn’t complain too much about the result. And since fried rice is a vehicle for improvisation and refrigerator-cleaning, I added some chopped up Chinese sausage that my mom stuffed into my suitcase after my last visit.