Okay, I'm bouncing back today and in good spirits. Breakfast is on the later side today and I had time to whip up some chicken hash. There used to be a place in Boston, which may still be there, called Charlie's. it was a lunchonette and Alex used to go there and pick up pastrami sandwiches for breakfast. My favorite thing to eat there was the turkey hash. It was served as a huge patty, crunchy on the outside and creamy and chewy within. It was served with a poached egg on top and made a hearty beginning to a day off. I couldn't have eaten something like that before going to work but on a lazy day, at a counter stool with hot coffee and good book, it was heaven. I had some leftover chicken this morning and sauteed some red onions and celery. I diced and boiled some russett potatoes and folded them into the chicken and vegetables along with some home made spicy aioli. The base will be fried into cakes and served with butter steamed eggs on top. A tribute to Charlie's and a hearty breakfast for Alex who, unlike me, has no troubles scarfing down huge breakfasts and continuing to cook all day long.
On another note, after breakfast yesterday our guests requested the recipe for our ricotta pancakes. Over the season, there have been so many requests for this recipe that I decided to post it on here so that everyone could have it. It occurs to me that the recipes we post are usually sweet or baking related, the reason for that is because that is the only time we actually write down proportions. But, we're working on changing that. Anyway, this recipe was adapted from one in Nigella Lawson's book Feast: Food to Celebrate Life. As a Chef I'll probably lose points from some people by admitting that, but I am a huge fan of English food writers and a good recipe or two can be found in almost anyone's books. That said, I really enjoyed Feasts and would recommend it to everyone.
Ricotta Pancakes
3 eggs separated
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8oz ricotta cheese (if you have access to it, really fresh ricotta makes an amazing pancake otherwise just use the best cheese that you can get)
1/3 cup AP flour
Whisk yolks with sugar and salt. Add cheese and stir to blend. Fold in flour. (Batter can be made in advance up to this point and finished just before cooking.) Whisk whites until they are light and frothy, not quite to soft peak. Fold into the batter until well blended. Ladle the batter onto a medium hot griddle (2 ounces makes a nicely sized pancake, not too big or too small). When bubbles form on top and pancake bottoms are golden brown, flip cakes and cook until browned on the bottom.
