Joe's Special

Trying to maintain a semi-low carb diet while trying to make as many of the 101 Classic Recipes as possible has proven to be a challenge.  Any other time I would whole-heartedly embrace all of these recipes, so full of potatoes, hominy, flour, and pasta, but for the next few weeks I am trying to be good to make up for what I'm sure will be a calorie filled set of holidays.  That being said, one of the low carb recipes that can be found in the set of recipes is Joe's Special, listed in James Oseland's description as "one of the most odd and divine scrambles known to man".  According the the article, the dish originated in San Francisco Italian-American restaurant and has since moved into the dinner menu of a generation of home cooks in Northern California.  I decided to make it for the family as a quick Sunday dinner.

The ingredients for Joe's Special are:

2 tbsp. olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
8 oz. ground chuck
1 10-oz package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry in paper towels
8 eggs, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Crusty Italian bread, for serving

The recipe itself is pretty straightforward and if you can make scrambled eggs - you can make Joe's Special easily.

The first step is to Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add the garlic and onion until soft,  between 5 and 7 minutes.  Add the chuck and stir until completely cooked through and all the moisture has evaporated, about 10 minutes.   

Stir in spinach and cook until heated through, 2 minutes.  Add eggs and cook until eggs are firm and mixture is slightly dry, between 4 and 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve with bread.

Credit: Todd Coleman

I must say that while the spinach in the previous recipe (Saag Paneer) existed in harmony with the other ingredients in making a terrific taste profile, the spinach in Joe's Special seemed to overpower the other ingredients.  I supposed if I had used baby spinach rather than the frozen/thawed spinach, the flavor would probably have been less intense.  With that said though, eating the egg mixture with bread actually made a big difference.  It seemed to temper the spinach flavor and bring out the natural creaminess of the eggs and cheese.

I'm sorry to say that this is a recipe that I probably will not make again - unless I find myself with a handful of ground beef, spinach and a few eggs lying around.

10 recipes down, 91 to go.