With Continual Reference to Justin Kahn.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Concept of Irony Has Many Great Ways to Encourage Love and Fine Cuisine. When We Have a Guest Blogger.

By Guest Blogger Mary Lois / Finding Fair Hope

I first had this dish at a sidewalk café in New York’s SoHo district in 1977 and have been making it ever since. My first experience created the kind of response in me that occurred in the famous restaurant scene from When Harry Met Sally, only it in my case it was about the food. And don’t forget – the movie would not come out for another 13 years. (Maybe Nora Ephron, who wrote the screenplay, was on the sidewalk that morning.)

At any rate, I ended up marrying the man who bought the sandwich for me and we had 20 happy years together, including six years in Switzerland. I can’t guarantee it will work as well for you, but it’s easy to make, and every time I have it, while not exactly eliciting the same initial response, I do love it and you will too.

You will need pita bread, some eggs, a few scallions or a tablespoon or so of fresh chopped onion, a bit of ham or bacon, and some shredded cheddar cheese. I assume there is butter or something like it in your refrigerator.

Break two eggs into a bowl and add a dash of milk or cream, salt to taste and a little Tabasco if you have it. Chop the white part of a scallion or a small slice of an onion, shred a couple of tablespoons of cheese, and chop about the same amount of ham or crumble a fried slice of bacon. Beat the eggs with a fork and slice the pita bread into two.

Warm your frying pan and film it with flavorless salad oil. Then throw about a tablespoon of butter into it, and, keeping the heat low, scrape the onion into it to heat through without browning. Nuke the pita slices for 15 seconds. This will be very hot to your hands, but warm enough to open the bread into pockets and melt the butter you smear into it.

While the pita is warming, pour the eggs into the frying pan and stir over medium heat. If you want the sandwich to be unctuous and eggasmic, keep stirring so the eggs will be moist and soft. Now smear some butter into the hot pita and be prepared to yowl about your hot hands. Cooking well requires some pain. Add the ham and lastly add the cheese. If everything is hot enough the cheese will melt. Heap it all into the pita pockets and have a good time.

8 comments:

Justin said...

I apologize to everyone for finding fair hope's assumption that you would have butter in your fridge. But she is new, so be nice.
j.

Mary Lois said...

I said "or something like it." Thought that would cover all bases.

maleah said...

Oleo. I have oleo. It's like 40 years old but I think it's still good...

Mary Lois said...

Oops! Two tries to link you to a post on my blog failed, so I deleted both.

At the risk of sounding ironically pedantic, I thought some readers might want to know the history of oleo, as written on my basic blog a few months ago. Or maybe not.

Anonymous said...

I had a band after I dropped out of college, before the cuban chick who was on the run from her boxer boyfriend moved out, before the grant money ran out, before my parents were mailed my grades, called "Oleo and Iron". (Our songs used employed a deft combination of tune and lyric.) I find this too ironic to be coincidence. Vice versa also. After the cuban chick left we changed the name to "Whining Iron". Now I hear there's a band making money with a similar modus operandi.

Should I
A) sue for damages
B) try your recipe as written
C) try a variation using flavored oil
D) Use the butter I have in the fridge without bitterness.

Mary Lois said...

You answered your own question. If you have butter, use it!

Justin said...

Steelhead,
Where can I get a copy of some of your work?
j.

Anonymous said...

I have recently published with the Mobile (Ala.) County Divorce Court, the local Animal Control Department, and Sam's Club & Citibank Credit Departments.

And in your comments section.