23 March Thursday

We all love hot dogs, we all love pumpkin pie, we all love mac and cheese, and we know the reasons why. Oh, I feel a song coming on. Yes, we love these national foods, and why not, but there are other national foods that we eat all the time, but may not know it. All over our great nation there are lots and lots of breakfast, what do you call them? Stations. In San Francisco, I can immediately think of at least five on Polk St. alone. They have a few high-tops, a freezer case with orange juice and Martinelli´s Apple juice, a selection of glaze crusted donuts, several metal file bins filled with bagels and the American Bagel sandwich.

This type of breakfast sandwich is unique in some ways, and I managed to recreate it as best I could this week, though I should say right off the bat that I put it on two thick slices of Soda bread, no bagel was involved. All of these stations seem to have the same situation: one employee, an Asian woman in her late fifties, who makes the bagels and donuts, works the til, sets the mouse traps, takes out the trash, throws out the ne´er-do-wells, and prepares the sandwiches. She maintains order and efficiency by guiding the customer through the process in a series of tableaux, the first of which is standing behind the cash register and looking at it. This is the cue to order the sandwich. After the sandwich is ordered, the right index finger is extended, indicating the amount of money I am now cued to take from my wallet, cash only. Then the sandwich.

First, two strips of bacon are put on a portable griddle. Then the bagel is sliced and put in the toast conveyor. When the bagel falls the first time, the bacon is flipped and the bagel is put through a second time. When the bagel falls the second time, the bacon is take off the griddle and put on one half of the bagel, which is now resting comfortably in a paper lined basket. Then, two eggs are cracked onto the griddle where they are immediately whipped into a solid cone shape with a fork, as though she were Merlin himself, conjuring edible magic. There are two things that give this sandwich distinction. First, the eggs are cooked on the griddle right after the bacon has come out, leaving beautiful little bits of bacon in the egg. Second, the egg cooks so so fast that it is extremely light and airy. Finally, before being crowned with the second half of hot bagel, a newsboy cap of American cheese, the genuine article, made of real chemicals and individually plastic wrapped, is set on top of the egg where it immediately wilts. Top half of bagel, wrapped in sandwich paper THEN sliced in half.

Speaking of hidden treasures, I´m getting ready for spring and that means cleaning out the pantry and freezer. Winter is over. I took the large bag of Dungeness crab shells I´ve aquired this season and made a heavenly delicious stock, which will work perfectly in an early Spring Bouillabaisse this weekend. But what to do with the tons of mushrooms, carrots, and little peppers I´ve come into? There is also leftover Colcannon with which I have decided to make gnocchi. Maybe Gnocchi with Mushroom sauce. A tiny bit of leftover corned beef. OK, hidden treasures to come.

Shellfish stock.