le blog de tranny

…and cornmeal pancakes to boot! Warm Sundays when Caro and I both don’t have work have been the most therapeutic lately. Not only do we actually get to see each other, which in itself seems like a rarity these days (especially when compared to how often we would just hang around the house together when we lived in Oaktown), but we actually cook together. Last Sunday we started off the morning with a trip to the farmers’ market down the street from our house — it was my first time checking it out and I must say it was small, but very solid.

Divis x Grove.

It’s still tomato season. Good to know there’s a place where I can still find flavorful, non-mushy tomatoes this time of year. Indian tomato summer?

This fish stand was so close to cutting it in terms of a local fishmonger but alas, no herring (or other fresh small fish). Berkeley Bowl doesn’t have fresh herring or sardines either. Where the hell is a solid fishmonger around here??

After cruising the farmers’ market, Caro and I came home bearing beets, potatoes, figs, berries and of course, tomatoes and cooked a truly amazing brunch.

Caro broke out the Mark Bittman and set to work making some cornmeal pancakes.

Meanwhile, I started on the red flannel hash. It’s actually quite easy to make. First I peeled and chopped a few carrots and a few beets and then steamed them for 10-15 minutes until they were tender. I chopped some red potatoes and steamed those too. They took a bit longer.

Next I chopped up several (~6) slices of bacon and browned them in the ol’ le creuset. I removed the bacon from the pot once it was crisp but kept the bacon fat, obviously.

Caro made a quick fig compote to go on top of the pancakes.

I added some chopped leeks to the bacon fat pot and sauteed them until they were soft. Then I added the potatoes, beets and carrots. I gave it a stir, seasoned it with s&p, and then added some milk (~1/2 a cup). I had no idea that milk/heavy whipping cream was supposed to play a role in this dish but apparently that’s what makes the hash so sticky (heh).

After the milk has been added, the hash is supposed to simmer for a while to let the milk evaporate off. Every so often I would flip the bottom of the hash and then press it down with my spatula to flatten it.

When it was almost done I added back the bacon and then seasoned, stirred and flattened it one last time.

We poached some eggs in Caro’s egg cooker to serve on top of the hash. They came out slightly overcooked but were nothing to cry over. In fact, brunch was impeccable nevertheless. A homemade and superior Kate’s Kitchenesque brunch eaten in the backyard on a sunny Sunday with the housemates…. what could be better?