Asparagus, Potato and Pancetta Hash

Old blog, new kitchen! I'm (finally) back with a new recipe, celebrating ol' Zou's 3rd anniversary from my new digs in Ardmore, PA. The kitchen is about 3 times the size of my former galley number and boasts a gas range, so I'm happier than ever to be spending time over the stove. I promised the other household half that I'd make mole sometime soon, a task that was almost unbearable in previous close confines. 

This morning, however, I'm sharing a recipe for the perfect breakfast to enjoy with a pot of coffee while hashing out some apartment projects that need to get done: this mess of potatoes, pancetta, crisp twiggy asparagus, scallions and eggs. It's just the savory, nourishing pile needed before attacking the old carpet staples left in the nice wood stairs....(wish us luck).

Asparagus, Potato and Pancetta Hash
Makes 2 servings

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

*2-3 fist-size Yukon Golds, diced into 1/2-1/3 in cubes
*1/4 lb pancetta, cut into small cubes
*3 scallions, white and light green parts sliced in 1/4 in rounds
*5 young slender asparagus spears, trimmed and sliced into segments
*Big pinch red pepper flakes
*An egg per serving
*Freshly ground black pepper (and salt, if you're a sodium fiend)

In a wide cast iron pan over medium heat, render the pancetta for about ten minutes, turning frequently, until it's nice and crisp. Remove and set aside (I usually store it in the little pan I'll later be frying the eggs in to take advantage of the pancetta's sweetsweet fat). Add the potatoes with a little extra fat if need be and leave them to saute without touching them for about 5-6 minutes. Turn and repeat until the potatoes are evenly browned on all sides, about 15-20 minutes total. At about 15 minutes in, add the scallions, asparagus and pepper flakes and after a good toss, add the pancetta back in. Cover the skillet so the asparagus can saute and steam for a bit, a couple minutes perhaps. Meanwhile, fry the eggs. When the asparagus has cooked to your liking (I prefer it still on the toothsome side) check for seasoning and dish out the hash, topping each portion with an egg. Serve with your favorite vinegar-y hot sauce, if you please.

Snapshot of the lovely eggs fresh from my friend's hens that topped the hash

Kedgeree

It's fun to learn what other people keep as mainstays in their kitchen. You think you know a person, only to find out that they are opening tins of "kipper snacks" and getting to the bottom of tubs of goats' milk yogurt on the regular. Such was my experience when I agreed to house/pet sit for a good friend of mine; she left me a panoply of groceries and a note encouraging me to take anything in the pantry or fridge that I wanted, so I of course had to take stock. In the pantry were a couple boxes of aforementioned kipper snacks and in the fridge, a half-empty carton of goats' milk yogurt plus another, unopened. I was fascinated and delighted. Eyeballing the kippers, I thought to use them in a batch of kedgeree, a Brit-Indian dish of spiced rice, eggs and smoked fish first brought to my attention at the superlative Lawrence in Montreal. I decided that the dish could use a little tang, so I stirred in some of the goats' milk yogurt as well - it turned out to be fabulous. Every spoonful yielded tasty fish fragments, greenery, voluptuous egg, warming spices and toothsome rice. I loved it. I think I'll be stacking kipper snacks in my pantry from now on, too. Maybe leave the goats' milk yogurt to my friend, though.

Kedgeree
Makes 2-4 servings

*1 organic egg per intended serving

*2 1/2 cups leftover cooked basmati rice (Cooked with a shard of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, a couple crushed cardamom pods, and a clove, ideally!)
*1 tablespoon ghee or butter

*1 small onion, somewhere between diced and minced

*1 clove garlic, minced

*1 teaspoon Madras curry powder

*1/2 teaspoon turmeric

*1 teaspoon cumin

*1/4 teaspoon coriander

*1 tin smoked kipper fillets (or smoked haddock, or another smoked fish), flaked, pin bones removed

*Good handful chopped parsley and cilantro

*1 heaping spoonful Greek or goat yogurt       

*S&P

Bring a pot of water to a boil and soft-boil the egg(s). Meanwhile, in a wide skillet, melt the ghee over medium-low and saute the onion until soft, then add the garlic. Sprinkle in the spices and let bloom before adding in the rice and fish. Cook a few minutes on low to heat everything up, while you remove the soft-boiled egg. Run it under cold water and peel gently. Stir in the herbs and yogurt, season to taste, dish out and fleck each serving with quartered or chopped soft-boiled egg.

For the record, I did scrape off the skin on the kippers (Crown Prince brand) and fed them to the lovely kitty I'm caring for. If you're not icked by fish-skin then that isn't necessary. 

Cream Scones

In an effort to have some palm-able breakfast options around the house, I started looking at scone recipes and was intrigued by a couple that were made with only cream, no butter. The recipe in this post on Chowhound was my eventual inspiration, as it looked like an incredibly simple and fantastic base recipe to incorporate into the rotation. I decided to doctor up the scones with orange zest and dried cherries, but customize yours in any way you'd like! I think next time I'll be trying caramelized onions, sharp cheddar and bits of bacon for a super-savory version.

Cream Scones (with Dried Cherries & Orange Zest)

Makes 8 servings

*2 cups flour

*1/4 cup sugar

*1 tablespoon baking powder

*1/2 teaspoon salt

*Pinch cinnamon

*2/3 cup dried cherries

*1 tablespoon orange zest

*1 1/4 cups heavy cream

*1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

*Raw sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425. Sift the dry ingredients together in a bowl and add the dried cherries and zest. Stir together the cream and vanilla extract and then combine with the dry ingredients, using a fork. Still using the fork, mix to a rough mass, then turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead briefly (only a couple times) just until the dough holds together. Pat into a 7 inch circle, or thereabouts. Brush the top with the drips and drabs of cream left in your measuring cup, then sprinkle with the raw sugar, if you'd like (I opted not to). Cut into 8 wedges. Separate the wedges and place on a parchment-coated baking sheet. Bake approximately 15-17 minutes until golden brown. Best eaten while still warm!

Eggs in Purgatory

Sometimes weekend cooking involves elaborate, time-consuming productions, but sometimes it involves ransacking the fridge in a bleary haze for leftovers to repurpose. However, subsisting on leftovers is fine by me when the leftovers in question include a largesse of Sunday Gravy. Eggs in Purgatory, a dish of jiggly eggs poached in a smimmering tomato sauce, is a ridiculously simple and satisfying brunch, lunch or dinner that'll serve the dual purpose of hearty nourishment, as well as a use for any leftover red stuff, either from the aforementioned Sunday Gravy, or even a half-empty jar of store-bought marinara. Served up over toast points, it can't be beat for a quick mid-Saturday meal, or for that matter, a meal for any other time during the week when you can't bring yourself to expend any more effort than cracking eggs.

Eggs in Purgatory
Makes 2 servings

*3-4 cups tasty, rich tomato sauce
*4 organic eggs
*Freshly grated Parm-Reg
*Toast points

Add the sauce to a modestly sized saucepan. Bring to a burble over medium and make little depressions in the sauce for each egg you're using, then crack the eggs one by one in a small cup and slip into each of the depressions. Spoon some sauce around to cover the majority of the eggs. Cover, leaving the lid cracked just a touch, and cook for about 7 minutes until the whites are set but the yolk is still a little runny. Scoop the eggs out and serve with extra sauce over toast points, dusting liberally with freshly grated Parm. Alternately, you can bake the eggs in sauce at 350 for about 16-18 minutes, results of which pictured above. Between you and me, I prefer the eggs simmered but the tasty end result doesn't make for the most pleasant of pictures!