Evan Jacobson

Posts Tagged ‘eggs’

Pictured Above: Guacamole & Tostitos Lime Chips at 12:00 O’clock; Gringo Salsa & Corn Salsa mixture at 5:00 O’clock; 3 egg whites with an oozing, decorated Egg Yolk; 3 Roasted Mini Peppers at 10:50 AM; Freshly chopped Cilantro scattered about the dish.

Welcome back to the new decade, 2010. I wanted to begin January 1, 2010 with my version of Huevos Rancheros. As I’ve stated in previous posts, I do my version of a particular dish.  If you’re looking for 100% authenticity, then you’ve come to the wrong place.  Generally speaking, I aim for the gist of the respective dish, but I cannot guarantee ultimate authenticity (it’s an unattainable standard with too many arguments).  However, my dishes have so much love that disappointment is never an option. Just ask my wife and friends…

I regret the fact that I do not contain Hispanic DNA in my blood, but I really wish I did.  I’ve been working with a wide range of Hispanic people my entire life, trying to learn about the 21 Hispanic countries that exist in our world, and working towards fluency and ultimate mastery of Spanish language.  One of the bonuses for achieving these aforementioned goals is EATING THE FOOD.  Every country has a food that they fancy in the spotlight.  For example, Peruvians are proud to serve Ceviche (raw seafood and shellfish entree marinated in Lime Juice).  Puerto Ricans and Dominicans make an awesome Pernil (Roasted Pork entree).  Mexican cuisine has a myriad of dishes and permutations… I really enjoy authentic Tamales on the Corn Husk and a Mole Sauce with a minimum of 20+ ingredients.  In this post, I will provide the breakdown for the Evan J. Huevos Rancheros.

In any cuisine, the freshest possible ingredients are the number one priority.  If you’re lucky to have Rick Bayless cook for you, for example, the lack of fresh ingredients would cause his food to yield poor results.  I’m not going to argue that any great chef can take poor quality ingredients and turn them into a golden masterpiece.  However, it takes 2 to Tango:  High quality ingredients plus a chef’s vision and execution.  Having said that, I need to show some pictures and break down today’s featured Breakfast beauty.

I made fresh Guacamole… One can also see my Rachael Ray Orange Santoku knife (that was such an obvious plug), a plastic spatula to mix and scrape every morsel from the bowl, and the fresh Cilantro is hiding in the back in the 12:00 O’clock position.  I know that the vegetable side of my cutting board needs to be cleaned and oiled with Butcher Block Oil.  Please cut me some slack–I’m working here!

Ingredients for the fresh Guacamole:

2-3 Avocados depending upon the size (use ripe, but NOT too ripe Aguacates–Spanish Language practice)

2 ripe tomatoes–squeeze the flesh out to avoid a watery consistency, and dice the skin.

1 Jalapeño (pronounced “Ha La Pain Yo.”  If you get the Jalapeño juices or seeds in your eye, you’ll most definitely be in pain, yo!

1 small-medium onion–dice it up!  The Spanish word for onion is Cebolla.

2-3 minced garlic cloves (ajos picados en Español).

Fresh Cilantro–a key ingredient with an original flavor bringing authenticity to the dish

Salt & Pepper– focus on more Salt than the Pepper because you’ll have “heat” from the other ingredients…

Suggestion: If you use the delicious Tostitos Lime Chips, they bring the right balance of Salt to the dish.  Therefore, don’t overdo the Salt; taste it as you go and adjust accordingly.

Ok, I cheated (just shoot me) and contradicted my fresh ingredients tirade.  However, I wake up hungry every morning and thus, I can justify why I married the above ingredients in the picture.  Trader Joe’s sells the Corn Chile on the left, and Shop Rite sells the “Green Mountain Gringo Salsa.” Besides loving the name, especially the Gringo part, it is the best bottled Salsa I’ve ever tasted.  Obviously, fresh is much better.  However, it’s important to have certain staples in the house during the week when time is short; it’s also nice to quickly improvise if guests come to your home unannounced.  I got out of that one–quickly sing Sade’s Smooth Operator… In short, both bottles had about a 1/4 left.  Therefore, I married both to create a hybrid Corn Salsa.  The pretty yellow and red Roasted Peppers sitting atop the Corn Chile are a nice addition to the dish and it also makes for a nice presentation.  Here are a bunch of those Roasted Peppers for you to ogle:

Here are my requirements for Eggs: Hormone Free, Vegetarian Fed, Brown, and enriched with some type of Omega 3, 6, 9, or all of them.  For years, I bought no frills Eggs and didn’t realize what I was missing.  The aforementioned, high maintenance version costs more per dozen, but it’s totally worth it.  My wife and I taste an obvious difference. Remember what I said earlier about quality ingredients?  I’m not talking about the part where I contradicted myself. Just search for the word fresh and you’ll be set… For Huevos Rancheros, one is supposed to use at least 2 Sunny Side up Eggs.  It makes the dish richer.  However, I have a small caviat called LDL Cholesterol, and I need to be careful to avoid medication.  Therefore, I used 1 whole Egg, plus added 2 Egg Whites for more volume.  When I prepared the Eggs, I did NOT use butter.  Instead, I used a Lime Infused Olive Oil to coat my saute pans.  There is something awesome about adding Lime to Mexican dishes.  I could have garnished the plate with a Lime, but I didn’t have one in the house.  Yet, the infused Lime Oil brought an incredibly refreshing authenticity to the dish.

Tortilla Chips: Tostitos with a Hint of Lime!

When you are finished plating with your killer presentation to wow your friends and family, cut the Cilantro about 1 minute before putting the dish on the table.  For some reason, cutting the Cilantro much earlier in the day causes some odd Brown spots and a slightly different flavor.  Moreover, Cilantro does NOT have a long shelf life.  I would suggest you buy it the night before Breakfast, or during the day if you are making another dish requiring fresh Cilantro.  Haven’t I babbled enough about fresh ingredients?

It’s time to wrap it up.  Breakfast can become interesting, especially if you venture beyond the typical fare:  Omelets (Cheese, Ham, Onions, Bacon, etc.), Pancakes, Oatmeal, or Continental (this is just a boring collection of Carbs). I’m not against Bacon and Eggs with Toast at all.  However, variety is necessary in my food life and I really hope that I inspired you to supersede perfunctory Breakfast options.  Take one more look at Evan J.’s Huevos Rancheros:

Evan J. wanna be gourmet, January 1, 2010

Pictured above: 3 Organic Eggs with one sunny-side eyeball yolk sitting atop of my recently invented Pastrami Turkey & Beet HASH; half of an everything Bagel and one very delicious Poached Pear (I made that too).

The Poached Pair short and sweet recipe: Peel 5 Pears (any style), and poach them in a mixture of Red wine, Ginger slices, Nutmeg, Brown Sugar, Lemon Juice, and Cinnamon Sticks.  Boil the poaching liquid and then return to a simmer for about 2 hours.  Let them cool and put them in the fridge.  The longer they marinate or mascerate, the better they taste.  They are really delicious in a solo setting or put them into a salad (put some Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola in there too).

Here is a quick, little anecdote explaining the inspiration for this recipe…

The HASH was inspired by an awesome restaurant in the Queen Anne part of Seattle called “The 5 Spot.”  This fantastic place actually used real Pastrami chunks instead of a traditional Corned Beef Hash.  The Betty Crocker book has a similar recipe called Red Flannel Hash (I have no idea what that means).  Since my wife will eat Chicken and Turkey (no red meat), the Pastrami Turkey is an ideal substitute.  The final inspiration was inspired by the fact that I was seriously starving and ready to eat a sandwich from a Gas Station.  Instead, I just cooked it at home and decided to wait a year or so for Gas Station dining…

The approximate recipe for Pastrami Turkey & Beet HASH:

1.5 cups of Turkey with a Pastrami flavor (available at many supermarkets)

1.5 cups of thawed Tater Tots (I didn’t have any potatoes in the house)

5 shakes of Worcestershire Sauce (that was in the house)

2-4 twists of Cracked Pepper

1 tablespoon of fresh Parsley

1/2 of a medium-sized Onion

3-4 small, whole Beets previously soaked in a brine that I purchased from some market that has international food products

Heat up an iron skillet with some Olive Oil.  Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor, but don’t overdo it (unless you prefer mush).  Add the ingredients into the skillet until the bottom browns.  To save time, I put the skillet in the oven on the broil setting until the top browned.  Plate it up as you see it in the picture.  You can garnish it with a bit more Parsley, and dust the Eggs with some smoky Paprika.  Dig in or go to a Gas Station (mentioned earlier).

Potential criticisms from the Top Chef Judges:

“Evan, it’s too dry…However, the Poached Pear really works, and the Everything Bagel brings salt to the dish…how can you add more moisture to the dish?” asked Tom and Padma.

“You can poach the eggs and let the yolk run all over it,” said Evan.

“But Traditional hash has a creamier texture; it’s not just egg yolk,” said Tom.

“Ok, I’ll mix in some milk or cream or fry all of it in a ton of butter.  However, that might be a problem for a Kosher person who doesn’t mix milk and meat.  It might also be so runny that it slides off the plate and onto your lap.  I think that staining your clothes would eliminate me from the competition, Tom,” said Evan.

“I agree with Evan…I really don’t want to mess up my dress…I’d rather send one of the other contestants home,” said Padma.

“Okay, send your other colleagues back into the judge’s room for elimination,” said Padma.

“I think we made the right choice,” said Tom…

Lox, Onions, and Eggs is a classic breakfast choice. Most people saute the onions in butter al dente, and do not carmelize. The Lox or Nova also depends upon personal taste, cost, and availability. Finally, most people use whole eggs, whereas I prefer Egg Whites. My version of this dish is called LEO WITH A LIME TWIST.

Ingredients:
1 small onion of your choice. If you want sweet with color, use the purple onions and slice them thin because you will saute and carmelize.

Lime infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil to coat the non-stick 8″ pan.

Roughly 3-4 ounces of Lox or Nova cut up into small pieces. 3 Egg Whites or Whole Eggs–spend the few extra cents on Large, Brown Organic Eggs which are Vegetarian fed and enriched with Omega 3′s.

Freshly, cracked pepper to taste.

Herbs De Provence; sprinkle lightly as a garnish and additional layer of seasoning.

Lime squeeze–use a quarter of a lime as it will bring out the lime flavor from the infused oil.

Start your engines:

Heat Skillet, add E.V.O.O., add Onions and saute until Golden Brown for around 12-15 minutes.

Add the Lox or Nova and cook until all of the raw pink color disappears.

Add a little more E.V.O.O. to the skillet to prevent sticking.

Add the Egg Whites and spread everything around so the weight of the ingredients is evenly distributed.

When the Frittata has solidified and holding a shape, remove from the flame and place it under the Broiler to cook the top. Be hyper-vigilant and don’t burn it!

Remove from pan and place on a plate. Garnish lightly with Herbs De Provence. Again, I might twist the Pepper Mill once or twice more for subtle heat… Squeeze that Lime all around. Garnish with some fresh fruit of your choice: Berries, Grapes, Pineapple, etc.

When you are finished eating and very satisfied, you might want to consider brushing your teeth (unless you want your Cat to cling to you for hours…).

ENJOY!!! SEND ME SOME FEEDBACK!

JUST IMAGINE ESCAPING INTO EXOTIC FOOD AND TREATING YOURSELF TO GREATNESS…

Pictured Above: Slowly Roasted and marinated peppers, Seasoned Herb Rice in Chicken Stock, Mesquite Grilled Chicken Breast previously marinated in Soy Vey Sauce (available at most supermarkets), and Honey-Balsamic-Glazed-Grilled Pineapple. The beverage to the far right is a well-crafted Piña Colada in an original Don Ho Glass from Hawaii to compliment a seriously fantastic and romantic meal.