Sunday, June 28, 2009

Weekend Breakfast - Breaking Diet

Normally, on the weekends, I revel in my fritattas. I wasn't a fan of eggs until I discovered the fritatta (read about it here). Just last week, I bought the cookbook I've been wanting to buy since it came out, the 75th anniversary edition of The Joy of Cooking. For me, there's something nostalgic about North American food, and furthermore, there's something nostalgic about old recipes. My mom has an ancient cookbook with ancient pictures - glazed hams in super saturated colour, garnished with pineapple rings & maraschino cherries. I love that book as a historical artifact but I need revised recipes to get me going. The 75th anniversary edition: perfect mix.

I saw the recipe for Jonnycakes, and though I really don't know how they got their name, I do recall them being rather tasty. Corn pancakes that are crispy on the outside. So here I went, Johnnycakes, bacon and eggs for breakfast. I tried to make up for the bacon (& bacon fat) by adding spinach and tomatoes to the scrambled eggs.

Johnny Cakes, Bacon & Scrambled Eggs
(adapted from The Joy of Cooking)

Make batter.
3/4 cup corn meal
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 chopped chili
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 c hot water
1/4 c grated cheese

Mix dry ingredients, add water & allow to sit for at least 10 minutes. Add cheese.

In frying pan over med-low heat, start cooking bacon. When bacon is nearly crispy, transfer to a small pan & over low heat, continue cooking. Keep bacon fat in pan. Cook cakes in bacon fat, 1 at a time. Keep finished cakes warm in oven over low heat.

Bacon should continue to provide fat. Use this fat in frying pan to cook eggs.

Beat 4 eggs with 1/4 cup cooked spinach, 1 diced tomato, 1/4 tsp dried oregano. Scramble eggs. When the eggs are done, so is the bacon (it was already cooked, it was just drying a little). Try not to think of the health disaster that this dish is, and moreover, try not to have it every weekend. But it was good!

3 comments:

Amanda said...

Wow, that sounds delicious! I'm more of a fan of savoury breakfast items, so I think this would be a great way for me to enjoy pancakes for brunch.

I've been thinking of buying The Joy of Cooking, since I hear so much about it. I think I will, now! :)

taste traveller said...

I was torn between Joy & How to Cook Everything by Mark Bitmann. What turned me off of Bitmann's book was the blurb "Why I don't like Tilapia", which is one of the most ecologically sound fish to eat these days. Joy is really a pleasure to read & a great reference - as geeky as it sounds, it's my new fav read!

Amanda said...

Right, I've heard of his book as well. You've convinced me to buy Joy! I think what has held me back is that I really like pictures in the cookbooks I buy, but, as you say, it's more of a reference. I'm sure I'll learn a lot from it!

I don't think that sounds dorky at all. :)

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