Breakfast at O'Rourke's. Brian O’Rourke
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Hash (page 6)
Cook the Irish bacon in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Remove the bacon and set on paper towels to drain. Pour off excess bacon fat, and melt 1 tablespoon of the shortening or butter in the skillet over low heat, then add the corned beef hash. Cook until browned, then turn off the heat.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs thoroughly. In a second skillet, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of shortening or butter over medium heat, then pour in the eggs. When the eggs begin to cook, put the browned corned beef hash across the middle of the egg. (Envision your omelet being a trifold with your ingredients in the center.) Sprinkle on the cheddar cheese and let it melt. When the eggs are cooked but still moist, fold each edge of the omelet over the hash. Flip the omelet over, so that the seam is on the bottom. Cook 1 minute more. (Avoid overcooking—the inside should stay moist.) Top with the Irish bacon strips. Serve with fingerling potatoes and a slice or two of Irish soda bread smeared with butter and some homemade raspberry jam.
NOTE Irish bacon is great! It is taken from the center cut of the pork loin and is more thickly sliced than regular bacon. You can find it in specialty stores, but feel free to use regular bacon if that’s what you have on hand.
CORNED BEEF HASH
Serves 6
When making hash, I cook the corned beef a day before grinding it in a food processor. Leaving the corned beef and potatoes in the fridge for a day makes the grinding process easier. If you would like a more “rustic” hash, hand-chop the potatoes rather than grinding them.
This hash is used as a filling for omelets or a side for any style of eggs. When it is served as a side, I put a little butter on the griddle and cook it to heat the hash through and give it a nice crispy texture. You can also add butter to a skillet and cook until both sides are brown and crisp.
| 2 | pounds cooked corned beef |
| 4 | medium potatoes, peeled and boiled |
| 3 | medium-sized eggs |
| 1 | teaspoon celery seed |
| 1 | teaspoon Cajun seasoning |
| 1 | teaspoon dry mustard (preferably Coleman’s) |
| ½ | cup ketchup |
| 2–3 | tablespoons butter, for browning hash |
Finely chop the corned beef and cooked potatoes in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is very fine but still has some texture—be careful not to make it a baby food consistency! Dump the meat and potato mixture out into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients, except the butter, and mix by hand until they all come together. It is ready to be used as a filling for omelets. To serve as a side, form the mixture into patties 3 inches in diameter. Melt the butter in a skillet over low heat, then brown the patties on both sides.
CAJUN FINGERLINGS
Serves 5
The price of fingerling potatoes when compared with regular is a bit more, but the flavor is in another world. I absolutely love marble-size fingerlings for my dishes. At the diner, we prepare about twenty pounds of potatoes at a time. Inevitably, they will not all be the same size, which makes it more difficult to have a consistent cooking time. I strongly recommend choosing potatoes similar in size when going to the market for your own cooking, so that all your potatoes are done cooking around the same time.
We serve fingerlings with our Eggs Oscar (one of our many takes on the traditional Eggs Benedict), as well as the Dubliner Omelet (a customer favorite). For lunch, I create an appetizer by adding chopped bacon to a bowl of fingerling potatoes, topping them with shredded cheddar cheese, and finishing them off by roasting them in the oven. Recently, I served fingerlings as a side with steak and mushrooms. They also make a great potato salad, and can even be grated raw over a green salad. The possibilities are endless.
| 2 | pounds fingerling potatoes |
| 2 | tablespoons salt |
| 2 | tablespoons vegetable shortening or bacon fat |
| 1 | onion, diced |
| Cajun seasoning to taste |
Rinse the potatoes and place them in a pot of cold water. Be sure there is enough water to cover potatoes. Add the salt and bring the water to a boil; continue boiling for 2 minutes and then turn off the heat. Leave the potatoes in the pan, checking them with a fork every 2 to 3 minutes until cooked. If you have potatoes of different sizes, remove the smaller potatoes as they are done. Drain the potatoes and slice the larger ones in half.
Melt the shortening or bacon fat in a skillet, then add the onions and potatoes. When the potatoes have browned, toss with the Cajun seasoning, and enjoy!
RASPBERRY JAM
Makes 3 pints
Variations to this recipe can be found on the Certo fruit pectin package. I suggest following the directions exactly the first time you prepare this recipe. After that, feel free to experiment with seasonal fruits. At the diner, I really do a lot of mixing and matching or, as I like to call it, “making the leprechauns dance!” My favorite raspberries to use are yellow raspberries. At one point, I had a local farmer, Ed Farrington, put in 100 yards of yellow raspberries just for the diner.
What is the difference between jam and jelly? Jelly wiggles, while jam sits. A jam or preserve is cooked down; it consists of more fruit and less sugar. Because of the higher fruit content, jam is typically more expensive than jelly.
| 4 | cups frozen raspberries (or fresh, if in season) |
| 2 | cups sugar |
| 2 | apples, cored and quartered |
| 1 | orange, peeled and quartered |
| 3 | cinnamon sticks |
| 1 | pouch liquid fruit pectin (I use Certo brand) |
Put all the ingredients into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Continue to simmer for approximately 40 minutes. Let cool and store in glass jars in the refrigerator. You can store jam for about 4 weeks in the refrigerator. At the diner, we refrigerate our preserves in quart-size containers because of the volume we use daily. However, you could can or freeze the jam, if you prefer.
The Bob Wolfe Omelet
MENU
The Bob Wolfe Omelet
Red Flannel Hash
Home Fries
Irish Brown Bread “Scones”
THE BOB WOLFE OMELET
Serves 1
I met Bob Wolfe more than two decades ago. Bob had just been named principal of Korn Elementary School in Durham, Connecticut. I lived about a mile from the school. The then–superintendent of schools Dr. William Breck came to the diner and introduced me to Bob. It was the beginning of an incredible friendship. I shared with Bob that I had always wanted to work with children. From that day on, I spent a part of each Wednesday at his school, teaching life skills to an academically challenged student. That expanded to helping his food service ladies, working in a summer camp, supporting fund-raisers, and teaching adult education cooking classes. Bob was on the committee to rebuild the diner after the 2006 fire and was instrumental in ensuring that the diner opened again. This omelet started as his special order, and then it was then placed on the menu. Today it is the second-best-seller after the Dubliner. Like our friendship, the omelet is special.
| 2 | slices bacon |
| 2–4 | tablespoons chopped tomatoes |
| 3 | medium-sized eggs |
| 2 | tablespoons butter |
| 2 | slices provolone cheese |
| 2–4 | tablespoons Guacamole (page 14) |
| 2–4 | tablespoons Red Flannel Hash (page 83) |
| Fresh fruit of your choice, for garnish |