Susan over at Food Blogga recently conjured applesauce out of dented apples, prompting me to comment that I find turning "iffy" food and/or left-overs into something new and delicious to be perhaps the most satisfying kitchen magic of all.
There are two different approaches to this magic--the first being the act of "saving" food that would otherwise be a disappointment to eat, as Susan did with her apples; or which would go wasted, as I did when I made grapefruit-orange "jarmalade" out of a pile if rindless naked citrus after I'd candied their peels. The second type is more of a conjuring act-- making something out of what seems to be nothing. This occurs when you want a snack or need to make dinner and have no plans and no intention of making a trip to the shops. You simply go and rummage and let the contents of your refrigerator (and cupboards) tell you what to do. It's most effective if you can pull this off after your sweetheart has been complaining that there is nothing in the house to eat. Nada. Zip.
Jack and I like to have a "proper" breakfast on the weekends and will often take ourselves out to brunch somewhere in the neighborhood. Sometimes we just want to pad around in our bathrobes for most of the day, and will make scrambled eggs on toast or omelets. Last weekend we we decided to stay in but were uninspired about what to have, so I decided to rummage. We had a doggy bag containing steak and frites as well as a tiny container of the black peppercorn sauce served with the steak. We had some left-over mashed potatoes. We had eggs. We had a shallot. I conjured up this lovely hash of potatoes and steak with sunny-side up eggs on the top (two for Jack and one for me) and delighted in Jack's amazement.
I'm leaving you with this Morecambe and Wise video because, while not exactly the sort of kitchen magic I practice, it's magical all the same (though I would like add that Jack and I don't swan around the kitchen with "The Stripper" going in the background. Well, not often!).
Mmm. I'm of the opinion that many dishes are vastly improved by the addition of a soft-yolk egg on top. :)
Posted by: Adele | January 19, 2008 at 08:29 AM
Ann, this video really added alot of smiles to my day---thanks! I could eat eggs any meal of the day...oh, didn't I give up eggs for cereal recently? :)
Posted by: JEP | January 19, 2008 at 06:08 PM
This looks similar to a fantastic tapa we just ate in Madrid (just returned last weekend - tear!) which was fried potatoes with a fried and egg and some fried chorizo. OMG I salivated when I looked at your skillet and now I'm salivating thinking about that tapa. amy @ neverfull.wordpress.com
Posted by: amysep | January 20, 2008 at 03:10 PM
This is a great video haha....Love it!
Definitely puts you in the mood to cook up something! :-)
Posted by: Zenchef | January 20, 2008 at 08:27 PM
this was such fun to watch, I loved those eggs being whipped up and the tune was perfect!Your sunny side up looks delicious...I'm so hungry looking at all these foodposts, I'll have to go have a coffee now, at least a bit better than starting nibbling!
Ronell
Posted by: myfrenchkitchen | January 22, 2008 at 10:59 AM
Adele, I hear you. :-)
JEP, no eggs for you! :-) I admit that I have watched that video about 5 times since Jack showed it to me. It really makes me laugh.
amysep, interestingly, we used to get a tapa very much as you describe in a local restaurant. I've been meaning to try to recreate it. It was served in a very small dish and had a bed of crispy fried grated potatoes, topped with a quail egg and a crispy piece of ham (or sometimes chorizo). Fabulous! We've also visited and loved the food in Barcelona... always hard to come back, isn't it?
ZenChef, I would LOVE to see you cook while listening to "The Stripper"! :-)
Ronell, I hope that coffee did the trick!
Posted by: Ann | January 23, 2008 at 12:30 PM