Episode 13 : Breakfast Line Cook
Breakfast line cooks are like the marathon runners of the kitchen; the toughest and fittest who put in an intense and sustained effort throughout each shift. Up since before the roosters, line cooks prep for hours - their shift half-done by the time the door sign is turned from closed to open. They cook for patrons who are perhaps the most ravenous and demanding of any they will face. Bob's challenge will first of all be to be accepted into the tight ranks of the breakfast line and then just to keep up with their finely honed skills, preparing the most crucial component of the breakfast ritual - eggs. Can Bob can handle the heat, or will he get kicked out of the kitchen? If he makes it through a busy shift, cooking for hundreds of patrons, his reward will be the relief of knowing that he can hold his own in such a demanding position, for the hungriest of diners.
Recipe:
Egg-Ilicious
(serves 4)
- Ingredients:
- 10 eggs. Salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, or whatever cheese is available
- ½ pound pancetta, prosciutto, bacon, or ham, sliced crosswise into 1/4 inch strips
- 6 green onions, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño or serrano chili, minced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, or Italian parsley stems discarded before measuring
- 1 ripe avocado (optional), skin and pit removed, then diced into ¼-inch cubes, and/or one canned or jarred roasted red bell pepper
- Method:
- 1. In a bowl, beat eggs, salt, black pepper, and cheese. Set aside.
- 2. Cook pancetta in a sauté pan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until it is done like crisp pieces of bacon.
- 3. To the pan add scallions, jalapeño, and garlic. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until garlic shows the first sign of turning golden.
- 4. Add cilantro and avocado. Stir for 1 more minute.
- 5. Reduce heat to medium, add egg mixture to pan, and stir until eggs are cooked to your liking.