Restaurant owners spend countless hours fretting over food stock and prices, catering to customers, negotiating with suppliers and supervising staff. How does a super-busy food entrepreneur stay on top of business and make time for a healthy meal?
We asked Megan Walhood and Jeremy Daniels, co-owner of the popular Portland, Oregon-based Viking Soul Food, and the answer was: Plan ahead and eat a good breakfast!
"Hunger can lead to overeating, so breakfast is important. We'll prepare a vegetable and cheese gratin or frittata, using eggs from pasture-raised chickens. This makes a tremendous difference in taste, not to mention nutritional value. We shop daily at a local farm stand and buy seasonal," says Walhood.
The gratin recipe can be prepped the night before and the frittata version -- found at
www.vikingsoulfood.com -- wrapped in pita or flatbread for a delicious on-the-go breakfast treat.

VIKING SOUL FOOD GRATIN
Ingredients
-
1 tablespoon
good olive oil
-
1
yellow onion, peeled and chopped into thumb-size pieces
-
1-2
parsnips (or carrots), peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
-
1 bunch
EACH kale and chard stems and leaves separated and roughly chopped
-
1/2 head
garlic, about 5-6 cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
-
Kosher salt, ground black pepper
-
1 cup
grated Jarlsberg cheese
-
Dash of vinegar
-
4
farm eggs, preferably from pasture-raised chickens
Cooking Directions
-
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and parsnip and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Add kale/chard stems to pan. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring. Add garlic slices and stir until they become aromatic. Add kale/chard leaves. Season with salt and pepper, stir well, and cover; cook about 4-5 minutes. Lay veggies in a roasting pan and top with grated Jarlsberg. You can stop here, cover and refrigerate, to finish the next morning.
- Preheat broiler to medium. Heat a pot of water to just below a simmer; add a dash of vinegar. Gently crack 4 eggs into hot water and poach about 3-4 minutes. Do not let the water boil. While eggs are poaching, heat vegetable dish in broiler until cheese is melty and golden.
- Remove gratin from broiler. Using a slotted spoon, gently remove eggs from water and place atop the gratin. Season with a coarse grating of salt and black pepper. Serves 4.
Comments
Post a Comment