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i’m a creature of habit. Once I find what I like on a restaurant menu, I tend to stick with it ... for years. After a while I become so familiar with the dish that I can tell when the chef takes a day off. So you can imagine my dismay when I walked into Hugo's — an industry haunt in West Hollywood that I frequented on Sunday mornings — and discovered that they had taken Eggs Carbonara off the menu. Now, these were no ordinary eggs. They were a kitchen-sink combination of spicy pancetta, scallions, garlic and whatever else didn't make it into the pasta on the previous night. Instead of burying the flavorful ingredients in the midst of a fluffy omelet, the whole mess was simply scrambled. No fuss, no muss, all flavor. Well worth the 20 minute drive and the eight dollars.
In a town where allegiances are made and broken over far less significant bonds, I sadly bid adieu to Hugo's (never to return) and retreated to my kitchen. The following recipe is based on my loose interpretation of the original, with an extra helping of all the good stuff and some avocado thrown in for good measure. I still start breakfast with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice — some recipes should never be tampered with.
EGGS CARBONARA
Serves 2
Ingredients
4 eggs
salt and lots of fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 ounce freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 splash of milk or water
1 tablespoon butter
3 scallions, diced
1 jalapeno chili, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 ripe avocado, skin and pit removed, then diced into 1/4" cubes (optional)
1/4 pound pancetta, cooked, drained, and diced into small pieces
1. In a bowl, beat eggs, salt, pepper, cheese and milk or water.
Reserve.
2. In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add
scallions, serano chili and garlic. Stir for two minutes.
3. Add cilantro, avocado and cooked pancetta. Stir for two more
minutes.
4. Reduce heat to medium, pour egg mixture into pan and stir
until eggs are cooked to your liking. Serve immediately on warmed plates.
Le Secret: Use imported Italian Parmesan Reggiano. The richness of the cheese gives the eggs an indescribable sweet flavor (just trust me here).
The Adventure Club: Add 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper to the eggs.
Alternatives: Bacon may be used in place of Pancetta.
Music To Beat Your Eggs By: Louis Prima, "Zuma" (Rhino records)
For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of discovering Pancetta, it is an extremely flavorful Italian bacon that is cured with salt and spices — but not smoked. It can be found in a sausage-like roll in most Italian shops and at many specialty butchers. Ask for slices 1/8 inch thick, and fry them up like bacon.
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Questions (and good food jokes) may be e-mailed to the Surreal Gourmet at: SGbytethis@aol.com. Selected answers will appear in this space.
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