Thursday, April 29, 2010

Brussel Sprout, Leek, and Bacon Scramble















Do all you food bloggers out there know how inspiring you are? I'm sure some of you do. If you don't know it, though, you are.

This recipe is inspired by so many of the wonderful things I have seen posted lately. Particularly this and this.

And just because I enjoy them and they recently made me smile, you should check out this lovely lady as well this this other lovely lady.


























Also, Lauren told me she liked the heavy photo layout I used in my last post. Since Lauren has pretty much impeccable taste, I will listen and see where I can go with my photo heavy format. And if you like Baroque embellishments, Italian grottos, glam-rock platforms, leather, and animal prints you should stop by and check her out. She is one talented lady (read: lots of incredible, hand-painted work and all things she finds inspiring; read: lots of beautiful, eccentric, colorful things/people/places).

    






This recipe was also inspired by two double-yolk eggs.

Bob from work brought these in and offered some to whoever was willing. So I gladly accepted two, which is kind of out of character for me. Generally, if I am offered something I politely decline, regardless of how badly I want it. I don't know why I do this. Everyone else is usually more than happy to grab up anything free that is offered to them. I hope it's charming and does not just make me a sucker.

But I accepted these, because I couldn't say no to two farm-fresh eggs. And Bob is a very nice man - quirky in the way only an 82-year-old hot tub salesman can be - but very nice.

And the really silly part about this is, I was expecting extra large yolks. I wasn't expecting literal, double yolks.

Conjoined yolks!

And because I have a thriving herb garden, something had to get picked to garnish what looked like it would shape up to be a lovely dish.

My dill plant is about ready to bust out of its measly container (like the other nine herbs I have), and it's a great pairing with eggs, so I helped myself to several hearty sprigs.































 I have also been on a big sesame oil kick. It's delicious. So a little bit of that went in here as well.

In all honesty, it might be one of the best things I've ever made.
















RECIPE

Serves 2-4 depending on if you're serving it alone or with something else

2-3 Large eggs (double-yolk optional) beaten with about a Tbs of half and half or whole milk
1 large leek, well-rinsed and thinly sliced
2 strips bacon, thinly sliced - I kind of used the chiffonade technique*
12 small brussel sprouts, thinly sliced leaving about 1/4" of stalk at the bottom
1 tsp sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste
fresh dill

*Chiffonade really applies to herbs. It's when you roll them tightly and then thinly slice them. I did this to my bacon and then cut the strips in half. You could also just chop it up if you want, but long tendrils of bacon made for a nice textural combo with the thinly sliced leeks and brussel sprouts. Also, as a side note, if you Google "That french word for slicing herbs" you will find what you are looking for.
  • Start the bacon in a cold, nonstick pan over medium heat. Cook until parts of it are starting to crisp, but not cooked all the way through.
  • Add the leeks and saute for about 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the brussel sprouts and saute for another 3 minutes.
  • Stir in the sesame oil and the salt and pepper.
  • Pour the eggs over this mixture, stir to incorporate.
  • Shape the mixture into a big circle and allow to cook until it solidifies a little - about two minutes. Cook a little longer if you like firmer, more well done eggs.
  • Carefully flip the mixture. Some of it might break off, but you can work it back together as the bottom finishes cooking. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, less if you want lighter, looser eggs; more for more well done eggs.
  • Slide off onto a plate or cutting board.
If you want to get fancy, use a circular cookie or biscuit cutter and make little circles out them (I used the top of a wine glass). Or just slice and serve with a spatula.

Garnish with fresh dill and some more salt and pepper to taste.



3 comments:

  1. Liz,

    This looks really good. I've always loved brussel sprouts sauteed in bacon. That's the way Granny Rosie always cooked them. I always make vegetable frittatas, but I never would have thought to combine the sprouts with the eggs. Gotta give this a try. Also, your dill looks a lot better than mine did last season. Mine looked sickly in comparison. Must be Long Island. Like all the photos too. Mom

    ReplyDelete
  2. If you can, mom, pick some eggs up from the Oneonta farmer's market, the difference in flavor is astounding.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Liz! What a compliment. Your herbs look amazing and so does this recipe (you know my weakness for brussels) - hope you are having a good week.

    ReplyDelete