Big 'ol Breakfast

Breakfast has got to be one of our favorite meals of the day.  While we have our two favorite breakfast spots in Houston; The Buffalo Grill and The 59 Diner, we really never found a special place in either Peru or in Venezuela (I do keep my fingers crossed that we can find a good breakfast in Kazakhstan though).   In South America, breakfast really isn't as hearty as it is in the United States.  We never found a place in Peru that could live up to our expectations, although the French Toast at La Baguette wasn’t bad and the empanadas from Don Mario’s Panaderia were phenomenal.  

Here in Venezuela the arepa is king.  An arepa is similar to a disk of cornbread that is either cooked on a flat top griddle, fried, or, for the health conscious, baked.  For breakfast, these are usually cut down the middle and stuffed with your choice of filling.  The fillings I’ve seen have ranged from egg and ham, egg and hotdog, canned mussels, crab and egg, carne mechada (my personal favorite), or a combination of all of these things.  These are good, but once again it just doesn’t match up to a North American Breakfast.

Once a week I try to make a good U.S. style breakfast.  Whether it is French toast, pancakes, biscuits, breakfast burritos, or today’s simple yet hearty breakfast; bacon, hash browns, fried eggs, and toast.

Bacon

Many people microwave their bacon and some even bake it.  In my personal opinion there is only one way to cook bacon and that is in a frying pan.

I begin by placing my bacon in a cold frying pan.

Then I turn the heat on medium.  This allows the bacon begin to slowly cook and release it’s excess fat.

 

Once the bacon begins to curl and there is a nice layer of bacon grease in the bottom of the pan I flip the bacon and allow it to cook until it is just right.  Usually until the remaining fat on the bacon has become a golden brown color.

I then take the bacon and place it on a cooling rack and place it in an oven set at 200° until it is time to serve it.

Be sure to save the bacon drippings, blending just a little with your olive oil will add a lot of flavor to your other dishes

Hash Browns

1 large potato

1 medium onion

1 medium bell pepper (red is my personal favorite)

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon bacon fat

1 teaspoon Adobo Seasoning

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Process:

Cut the potato into ¼ inch cubes.

Soak in water in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes

Coarsely chop the onion and the bell pepper, reserve for later.

Heat olive oil and bacon fat over medium high heat.

Pour the water off of the potatoes and pat dry.

Add the potatoes to the heated oil and cook until the potatoes are about ½ way cooked stiring occasionally (approx. 5 minutes.)

Add the onion and cook for an additional 3 minutes or until the onions begin to become translucent.

Add the red pepper and cook 3 more minutes.  (This will ensure that the pepper retains some crispness)

Take off of the heat and add the spices, toss to coat. 

Place the hash browns in a pan and place in the oven with the bacon to keep it warm.

Fried Eggs (over-easy)

2 eggs per person

½ teaspoon bacon fat (or non stick cooking spray if you have it)

Process:

Heat pan over medium-high heat and add oil.

Once the pan and oil are hot crack the eggs and place in the pan.  Cook the eggs until the white part becomes almost solid.  Carefully fold the egg over and cook for a moment or two.

Take the eggs off of the heat being extra careful not to break the yolk and place on a plate.

*for over-medium allow the yolk to cook part way or for over-hard cook until the yolk is solid

**for sunny side up simply do not flip the egg and cook until the white is solid

Place the hash browns, toast and bacon on the plate with the eggs and you have a nice hearty American style breakfast!

                                      
 Enjoy!