Fun Playing with Waffles

I've been wanting a good waffle iron for years. It never felt like there was a place to store it, so the dream went unfulfilled. Until my birthday this year. Seven months into not having a stove, it was time for a birthday present. Behold, the Iron Chef of Waffle Irons:

If I had learned nothing else from the cheap waffle iron I bought almost 30 years ago - don't cheap on a waffle iron if you want to make anything other than, well, waffles. This hunk of All Clad is built like a tank. And we've already started to put it through some unconventional paces, with great success. 

Our very first meal with it transversed the ordinary:

Savory Sweet Corn Waffle

We topped our first waffles with a Sausage Gravy made with our first bag of Hot Italian Sausage from our 2014 half Miller Livestock Co., Inc. Berkshire Hog. Served up with Farmers' Market Green Beans, it was a terrific way to inaugurate the new waffle maker.

The leftovers made for a fabulous breakfast topped with Tea Hill Farms poached eggs:

Out next waffle meal featured a regular buttermilk waffle (with a bit less sugar added to the batter), serving as buns for savory burgers. First up, Lamb-Chorizo Burgers served with Mint-Yogurt Raita, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Snap Peas (not pictured). Breychak Farm lamb combined with spicy Saucisson chorizo, Yum.

Bob was a bit overly generous in sizing the patties, and we had some leftovers. 

The next night, we rinsed and repeated, using a mixture of the Saucisson Chorizo and ground beef we received in connection with the Kickstarter campaign of Blue Loon Farm, and a batch of yeast-batter waffles. This time, we made the patties smaller, and so had enough for two meals! Spicy heaven on a waffle!

Meal 2

Next up: BLTs, on yet another batch of Yeasted Waffles! Our last pound of Brechak Farm bacon gave it's all, in an oven-baked weave of deliciousness.

Today's experiment involved potatoes. We'd gotten some beautiful purple spuds at the Geauga Fresh Farmers' Market, and this morning, I shredded, drained and waffled them:

Here, the waffles are topped with poached Blue Eggs from two different farmers, and our first sample of the bacon we got from our Miller Farm hog. The taters were cooked through on the inside and super crispy on the outside, with just a bit of butter brushed on the waffle iron and some salt and pepper added to the shreds before waffling. The beautiful simplicity of waffling speaks for itself. 

Fun playing with waffles - what shall we waffle next? 

Fun Playing With A Chicago Breakfast That Channeled the Catskills

I so apologize for the long delay between posts. Since my last post on May 19, we've been to NY and back, and to Cincinnati and back - cooking on both trips. Reports will follow eventually - but I didn't want to lose this report on a very cool Chicago spot that was our last taste of that city on our early May trip.

Donut Holes - the Amuse at Lou Mitchell's

Having been forced to dismiss the lawsuit against the city that tore up my labrum after the trial judge allowed the City to fundamentally change the case, literally moments before we were to select a jury, and knowing we'd be re-filing and starting again, I was determined to enjoy one last special taste of Chicago before we left to drive back to Cleveland. The only problem was that we'd had to meet with my attorney first thing Thursday morning, and we had to be checked out of our hotel room by noon to avoid extra charges. So - we sprinted across downtown to 565 W Jackson Blvd to sample a place recommended by a friend - Lou Mitchell's. 

Now, I suppose that there are a lot of locals who think this place is a tourist trap and nothing but. But let me tell you - one step into the dining room, one breath of the aromas, and one look at the tables, food and servers were enough for me! I felt transported to the world of "Catskilland" - a marketing term coined for New York's Catskill Mountain resorts in the late 1980s. My parents were married at the Nevele, and my childhood experience was indelibly inked by time spent "in the Catskills," at the Nevele and other resort hotels long gone. Since I married Bob nearly 15 years ago, I'd often hoped to take him to the Catskills to experience at least a taste of it; however, it is almost gone now (Kutshers Country Club  is the only "Borscht Belt" hotel still operating).

Fast forward back to Lou Mitchell's. It wasn't especially "Jewish" at all - but something about the look, the smell, the feel - I felt like I was back in The Mountains. It didn't hurt that our server was an older woman who understood completely when I asked for expedition, as we needed to walk a bunch of blocks back to our hotel before noon (and it was already after 11am). I wanted to take some atmosphere shots, but the stress and hurry made that impossible. The above freshly prepared donut holes are kept in a container by the entrance, and offered to patrons as they enter or wait for a table. Fortunately, we got to enjoy our nosh and get right to a table.

La Conga Delight (Bacon, Tomato and Cheese), Choice of Homemade Bread, Melted American Cheese, Crisp Bacon and Tomato, Fries

My selection - brought freshly cooked, hot, crispy and delicious. The house-made fries are simply lovely - creamy and crispy. And, the leftovers made a delightful road snack, holding much of their crunch though cold.

House-Made Coleslaw




Though I skipped the pickle, I adored this cole slaw.


La Conga Close Up



BLT Club, Crisp Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato on Homemade Golden Brown Greek Toast, Fries



Bob loved his choice (and my bite was fantastic) - crunchy, cheesy, creamy - and most importantly - made fresh with fresh ingredients.

Since the case has been started over again, I anticipate additional Chicago trips to resolve it. We have promised to return to Lou Mitchell's without a time clock ticking over our heads, to give it the respect and enjoyment that it deserves. Despite the rush - we had great fun sampling not only the tasty food and fabulous service - but the nostalgic atmosphere of Lou Mitchell's.

I Have Given Myself Over to the Pork Side, Episode I - Bacon

Cue the Darth Vader music! I now realize that it is pointless to resist. I have given myself over to the PORK side!

As most of you know, I was raised in a Conservative Jewish house on Long Island, in New York suburbia. We did not keep kosher (though my father's mother did), but we generally observed quite a few of the dietary rules imposed by Kashruth - more as a cultural than religious matter (my mother wouldn't know what to do with a sausage or pork roast if you gift-wrapped it for her). Drinking a glass of milk with a meat meal, for example, seemed gross (and it still does, to me), and I never put cheese on a cold meat sandwich - but that doesn't keep me from enjoying veal parmigiana. And other than the occasional package of bacon (after all, who doesn't like bacon), you would seldom find any shellfish or pig parts in the house where I grew up. Ironically, after I moved out, my mother because enamored of ham and cheese sandwiches; ham had always been an unidentified object in our house, and I always passed on it at school lunch. My pre-marital exposure to pork was mostly bacon (yum!) and the occasional taste of mass-market sausage (not so yum).

Since I moved to Cleveland in 1995, I have been exposed to a world of artisanal pork, and have tasted many varieties of chops, roasts, sausages, and charcuterie with pleasure. It was with this background that we ordered half a Berkshire hog from Blue Egg Farmer Kathy Breychak this year.

Our first tastes of our hog were mostly bacon. We also sampled some sausage, which we ate like burgers:

Inspired by Michael Rulman's BLT Challenge, we enjoyed a few amazing BLT's once the tomatoes came in this summer.

BLT: Garden Lettuce, Tomato, & Hungarian Pepper, Bob's White Toast, Breychak Bacon, Mayo

None of our BLTs would have been eligible for Ruhlman's contest, because the butcher of the hog smoked the bacon (and the mayo was Hellman's). These were some of the most delicious moments of our summer and fall, though.

BLT "Deluxe" - with Farmers Market Egg:





 







And finally - the last BLT of the season - on Bob's Freshly Baked Wheat Bread - I couldn't bear to toast it!


















 






And now, summer is over and the tomatoes are gone. Sniff.

We have used the bacon grease in so many kitchen applications; the smell and taste have been everywhere - no old coffee can for this liquid gold! I tried - I tried to resist my feelings. But the rich, sweet smell and taste of the Pork Side had me in its grasp. Would there be no salvation? Save me Obi-Wan Kenobi - you are my only hope!

To be continued . . . .

More Fun Playing With Great Diner Fare at Kalie's

I am overdue for an update on Kalie's Family Restaurant, 4446 Mayfield Road, South Euclid Ohio [(216) 382-4490]. I have enjoyed several delicious lunches since my last Kalie's post in October 2008.

Lunch 11/6/08:


Cheeseburger Soup

House-made and delicious! So satisfying that Bruce at this for his lunch.


Goulash Soup

This had a nice spice level and rich flavor.




Mediterranean Salad w/Gyro Meat

My lunch - wonderful!





Lunch 1/26/09:


Freshly made Beef with Pasta Soup

I love their homemade soups!




Cheeseburger

Bruce's entree. Burgers come with your choice of fries or soup - today, Bruce took the soup!




BLT

Kalie's makes the most wonderful BLT.





Lunch 3/3/09 (Square Root Day - think about it!)


Cheeseburger with Fries




Chicken Paprikash

This bowl of Chicken Paprikash gave me the best, most lip-smacking enjoyment of anything I've had at Kalie's. Yes, I've had their Paprikash before and yes, it was good. But this bowl was over the top.



Huge chunks of exquisitely tender chicken. Generous heat and pepper flavor from no fewer than four species of chile. Silky gravy loaded with flavor. And a generous application of Hot Hungarian Paprika. This bowl was comfort food perfection.



Dimitri, the owner, explained that they made it two ways this time - spicy and not. Because the genius to this dish isn't in the paprika (which could be added by the diner) so much as the flavors the peppers cooked into it - and you can't add that at the table!

So, if winter shows it's nasty face again in Cleveland - find out when Kalie's will next be featuring the Chicken Paprikash and get yourself a bowl to play with. You will not be disappointed!