Eggs Benedict at Zell’s Cafe

I am not sure how I missed the memo on the fact that Zell’s Cafe offers some of the best eggs benedict in Portland. This oversight has been corrected. Now I know why some of the ladies in my Pulse PDX Zumba class are regulars here. And, now I wanted to share that option in case you are looking for a nice eggs benedict to spend time with your mom or because you’re a mom- but genius, they have this everyday, not just Sunday, so you can avoid the brunch lines. 

Zell's Cafe, Portland Zell's Cafe, Portland

Yep, Zell’s serves breakfast everyday, so you don’t have to wait for weekend brunch at this neighborhood spot – you can get this any day. And, coming on a weekday means a much calmer atmosphere and no wait. Make sure you check out what specials they may have for breakfast on the chalkboard.

Zell's Cafe, Portland Zell's Cafe, Portland

Shortly after you are seated, you are greeted with complimentary little biscuity scones with butter and raspberry jam as they quickly and efficiently understood our immediate need for coffee. Nothing says being mothered as much as immediately being fed these complimentary biscuity scones upon arrival, like a buttery hug to you mouth and tummy.
Zell's Cafe greeting of complimentary mini biscuits with butter and jam Zell's Cafe greeting of complimentary mini biscuits with butter and jam

They have other offerings- waffles, pancakes, German pancakes, lots of omelettes and hashes, and what I came for, the famous Eggs Benedict. I had mine actually as Eggs Florentine, so that instead of Canadian Bacon I had spinach and tomato.

I think the photos speak for themselves.

Zell's Cafe's Eggs Benedict, which I had Florentine style wtih Bay English muffin, Canadian bacon was switched out for spinach and tomato, hollandaise sauce, served with potatoes. Zell's Cafe's Eggs Benedict, which I had Florentine style wtih Bay English muffin, Canadian bacon was switched out for spinach and tomato, hollandaise sauce, served with potatoes. Zell's Cafe's Eggs Benedict, which I had Florentine style wtih Bay English muffin, Canadian bacon was switched out for spinach and tomato, hollandaise sauce, served with potatoes. Zell's Cafe's Eggs Benedict, which I had Florentine style wtih Bay English muffin, Canadian bacon was switched out for spinach and tomato, hollandaise sauce, served with potatoes. Zell's Cafe's Eggs Benedict, which I had Florentine style wtih Bay English muffin, Canadian bacon was switched out for spinach and tomato, hollandaise sauce, served with potatoes.

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Lunch at Oso Market

Ever since I first visited Oso Market during a progressive dinner food crawl, I have been stuck in a rut every time I go to Oso Market with just getting drinks and montaditos.

Oso Market + Bar in Portland Oso Market + Bar in Portland Oso Market + Bar in Portland Oso Market + Bar in Portland Oso Market + Bar in Portland

Don’t get me wrong- the montaditos (which are bread or polenta “mounted” with various combinations of toppings) are fabulous, as are their cocktails and getting the merchant’s choice wine flight.
Oso Market + Bar appetizer of Baked Mortadella Montadito with tarragon mustard, peperoncini, and micro greens served on Little T focaccia and Bresaola Montadito with tomato-mint jam, Parmesan and basil served on Little T focacciaOso Market + Bar appetizer of Cremeux Montadito with fig, honey, arugula and balsamic reduction served on Little T focaccia and Ratatouille atop crispy polenta

And of course, the dinner menu has the enticing Chorizo Stuffed Dates wrapped in bacon with cumin honey and blue cheese.

But I yearned to try some of the sandwiches listed only on their lunch menu. Lunch at Oso Market includes sandwiches like

  • Baked Mortadella, tarragon mustard, provolone, pepperoncini, and local greens
  • Pork belly with fried egg, garlic chili aioli on beer bread
  • Kale, parmesan, garlic aioli, fried egg, red pepper
  • and more…

Particularly, I wanted this beauty which I finally got to try a couple weeks ago. For a few days I was based out of the Oregon Convention Center for work, and so had an easy time getting down there for lunch and back on the streetcar. This is a vegetarian sandwich at Oso Market of Roast Squash, Beets, Red Pepper, Onion, and Cashew Ricotta. Many of their sandwiches you can order half of, and if you wish combine it with a house salad if you’d like. I was sorry I had only ordered a half sandwich because I really wanted another half for dinner and to show off to vegetarian F to try.
Oso Market vegetarian sandwich of Roast Squash, Beets, Red Pepper, Onion, and Cashew Ricotta Oso Market vegetarian sandwich

Seriously, isn’t this sandwich beautiful! And it was sooo delicious.
Oso Market sandwich of Roast Squash, Beets, Red Pepper, Onion, and Cashew Ricotta

I also nibbled on a Fish Board with sardine pate, smoked trout, and boquerones with dill caper cream cheese, pickles, and mustard.
Oso Market Fish Board with sardine pate, smoked trout, and boquerones with dill caper cream cheese, pickles, and mustard Oso Market Fish Board with sardine pate, smoked trout, and boquerones with dill caper cream cheese, pickles, and mustard Oso Market Fish Board with sardine pate, smoked trout, and boquerones with dill caper cream cheese, pickles, and mustard Oso Market Fish Board with sardine pate, smoked trout, and boquerones with dill caper cream cheese, pickles, and mustard Oso Market Fish Board with sardine pate, smoked trout, and boquerones with dill caper cream cheese, pickles, and mustard

I don’t know when the next time I’ll be able to have lunch at Oso Market is, but I highly recommend Oso as more than just a stop for snacks and drinks in the evening! And, especially if you have a reason to be at the Oregon Convention Center area for some reason like I did, hop on the streetcar that stops right in front of it and ride it 3 stops down (a mere 10 minutes or less) or walk the mere .75 mile or so to upgrade your lunch.

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Easter Treat of a Spaghetti Nest Recipe

I was trying to think of something unique and fun for a Easter Recipe to share (I can’t believe it’s just this coming Sunday, April 5!). Well, as it turns out that I made a little bit too much wheat spaghetti when I was making my recipe for Spaghetti Pie that I wrote about last week to celebrate April Fool’s Day. That then brought me down the path of looking at recipes for fun twists on leftover spaghetti, and voila! I present ideas for a Spaghetti Nest Recipe!
Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter! Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter!

First of all, there are several options in putting together your spaghetti nests. The original recipe I saw from Giada’s Recipe  for Spaghetti Nests uses 1 egg as a binding agent. However, for me I just used simple Parmesan and olive oil without the egg, and it still stayed together thanks to baking them in a muffin tin.

I can also imagine you could add some bacon and just make your spaghetti nest a carbonara sauced pasta – or you can use pesto instead if you puree your olive oil and Parmesan with basil and pine nuts (or other cheaper nut like walnuts). You could add more cheese so it’s more of a mac and cheese like spaghetti for your nest too – the possibilities are great!
Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter! Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter!

Giada also added wilted spinach to her nests, which I love the idea but I didn’t have any more spinach on hand so left it out. I could also imagine throwing in Italian parsley as well to be the green of the nests. I used chopped sage in mine because that’s what I had on hand, but you could throw in seasonings and greens per your taste.

There are lots of fun ways to fill a spaghetti nest. Giada had little mozzarella balls – I had one big mozzarella ball that I just cut into small pieces for my “Eggs” in the nest after baking the nest. She uses marinara sauce, but you can also use pesto. Or, why make it cheese, you could also use little meatballs, right? Another version is to just crack real eggs and cook them in – the latter of which I also did.
Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter! Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter!

I also pretty much am smitten with these three rabbit Easter decorations I recently found for 20% off at Fred Meyer. Or you can go more subtle with sprouts or salad greens…
Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 box of spaghetti – I used wheat pasta – and this made about 8 muffin-sized nests for me
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan plus more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon of chopped basil or sage or seasoning of your choice
  • 1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons of milk or cream
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste
  • Optional- eggs, one egg per nest that you want a cooked egg
    OR
    18 small mozzarella balls (assuming 3 small mozzarella balls per nest)
    OR
    use 2-3 small meatballs
  • Your choice of sauce – marinara or pesto, about 1/2 tablespoon per nest if desired, and/or more for the plate underneath each nest if you’d like

Directions:

  1. Cook your pasta according to the directions until al dente- probably after putting the pasta into the boiling water this might be about 7-8 minutes in.
  2. Drain the water from the pasta and then add in the olive oil, cheese, and seasonings of your chopped basil or sage (I had sage on hand), Italian Seasoning, and the optional splash of milk or cream if you think the pasta is too dry as well as salt and pepper to taste. Toss until all the pasta noodles are coated.
    Spaghetti Nests - after draining the water from the pasta, toss with olive oil, seasonings, and parmesan
  3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a regular muffin tin and then with a fork, twirl some noodles and then place into each muffin well. Carefully with your fork now push some of the noodles to the sides so that each nest has a crater that you will be able to place items in later (there will still be noodles at the very bottom as part of your nest).
    By making the recipe for my Spaghetti Nests, you don't need egg as binder for the pasta nest because you bake them in muffin tins By making the recipe for my Spaghetti Nests, you don't need egg as binder for the pasta nest because you bake them in muffin tins By making the recipe for my Spaghetti Nests, you don't need egg as binder for the pasta nest because you bake them in muffin tins
  4. This is optional- if you are filling your nests with “eggs” of cheese or meatballs, then go ahead and go ahead and bake for the next 20-25 minutes. If you are baking eggs to go with your nest, crack the egg into a separate bowl, and carefully pour one egg each into each of your wells that you made. Sprinkle each egg with a little bit of salt and pepper or Parmesan if you’d like.
    Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter! Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter! Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter!
  5. Bake your Spaghetti Nest for 20-25 minutes. If you are baking the nests with real eggs inside, check so that the eggs are just set with no uncooked whites surrounding the yolks, but it should still be liquidy yolk.
    Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter! Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter! Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter!
  6. Since the cooking time is close with or without the egg, you can choose to do partial batches with some with baked egg and some without, and then remove the baked egg when it’s ready if it’s done sooner and then put the rest back in to finish off. When you are ready to remove your nests, carefully using a spoon pop each of your nests out of each muffin tin.
  7. If you are filling your nests with “eggs” afterward, spoon a 1/2 tablespoon of sauce (either marinara or pesto) into each well after they are done baking and then add your cheese or meat ball. If you’d like to serve it the way Giada did, she put her cheese directly into the nest and put the sauce on the serving plate instead – both sound great to me!
    Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter! Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter!
  8. Serve your nests warm or at room temperature with a salad.

I hope you have a great Easter weekend. Are you planning on doing any special food or recipe for the holiday? Have you had spaghetti nests before, and what was it filled with?

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April Fool’s Recipe for Spaghetti Pie

I know April Fool’s Day, which is April 1, is not until next week, but next week is also Easter so I have to get this one done first!
Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957

I admit the April Fool’s is a bit of a stretch here, since this looks like a pie yes,  but it’s pretty clear it’s not any type of regular dessert pie. But, I like the call back to my favorite on the Wikipedia list of April Fool’s jokes, the BBC’s Panorama Programme reporting about spaghetti crops in Switzerland.

I was also inspired to make this Recipe for Spaghetti Pie by this great recipe by Bobcatsteph3, which itself is a copycat recipe for Old Chicago Pizza and Taproom’s Oh My Spaghetti Pie. The description on the Old Chicago website describes this as “This Old Chicago exclusive starts with spaghetti tossed in Alfredo sauce made from scratch daily with Parmesan, mozzarella, Romano and provolone cheeses, topped with even more cheeses and slow-baked to toasty perfection. Served by the slice over our house marinara.”

This is a dish I have never had, and also a restaurant that I’ve never been to, even having lived in Chicago, because it doesn’t actually exist in Chicago – the 3 locations in Illinois are in Peoria,  Rockford and Champaign which are all significantly *outside* Chicago. There are 3 locations here in Portland though I’ve never been to any of those either! I’ve actually only seen Old Chicago when I’ve been in Colorado, which seems to be where they have the most franchise locations since they started out in Boulder in 1976.

While I respect the true alfredo used to make the pie in the BobcatSteph3 copycat recipe (and which Old Chicago Pizza probably makes in its own kitchen),  the “calories, schmalories” concern me too much so I did a different white sauce. I could have used the cauliflower alfredo that I shared in a previous recipe post, but this time I tried a different cheese mixture that uses low fat ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan along with Tofutti Sour Supreme (or you can use light or regular Sour Cream). If that sounds like something you might put into a lasagna, that’s where I got my other part of this inspiration.
Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957 Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957

And here I go again, making a savory pie (the last one I did was the bacon cheddar potato one using Michael Smith’s recipe). I think this pie serves 4-8 people depending on what else you are serving the slice on the plate with.

Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna so it's both creamy and tangy, and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957

Ingredients:

  • 20 ounces of spaghetti noodles (I did not use all of my 13.5 Oz box), cooked to al dente and drained from pasta water. It will cook again when you bake it, and further soften so it’s ok for it to be less than al dente. I personally like wheat or veggie noodles so mine are not the same color as normal noodles
  • 2 cups of  shredded mozzarella cheese (about 8 ounces)
  • 8 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 8 ounces Tofutti Sour Supreme (or you can use light or regular sour cream – I think using 1 beaten egg would work too as the binding agent here for the cheese)
  • 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste
  • 4 cups of your own marinara sauce, be it from a jar or your version of homemade, your choice. I put quite a bit of red pepper in mine to make it spicy, you might consider adding mushrooms, or even your choice of crumbled meat if you don’t want it vegetarian

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. While the pasta is cooking to al dente, mix together the 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella, all 8 ounces of the ricotta, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan aka 1/4 cup (you will use the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan for topping later), and all the Tofutti Sour Supreme/sour cream, Italian Seasoning, basil, garlic, and to taste the salt and pepper.
    Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957. This cheese filling is a mix of shredded mozzarella, ricotta, Parmesan and sour cream with seasonings
  3. Mix the cheese sauce to the al dente spaghetti until it is well incorporated, and then place the cheese and spaghetti into the greased pie plate.
    Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957 Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957
  4. Cover the pie dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the pie briefly to spread the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese that is left on top of that pie and then bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese is all melty. If you wanted to, you could add a bit of panko or breadcrumb while adding the mozzarella and Parmesan topping if you’d like a bit more crunch.
    Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957 Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957
  5. After you remove your spaghetti pie, let it cool for at least 10 minutes so it can solidify and stay together when you cut your pie slices.

To serve, make a layer of the red marinara sauce onto a plate, and then on top of that serve a slice of the spaghetti pie, sprinkle with a bit of fresh basil chiffonode or chopped basil or some crispy fried sage if you’d like. Or add another layer of sauce on top of your pie!
Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957 "Recipe Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957

I usually see this dish served with a side salad and also some garlic bread, which you can use to further dip into the sauce. The key here is that this mashup lasagna spaghetti dish is a taste of both creamy cheesy white and tangy (and in my case spicy) red sauce. Plus you are having spaghetti but without having to slurp it up and get the sauce on your face and clothing.
Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957

Are you doing or making anything for April Fool’s Day? Have you ever had Spaghetti Pie or been to Old Chicago Pizza?

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Cauliflower Colcannon

How I celebrated St Patrick’s Day this year, part 2. This is the vegetarian part.

The traditional Irish song… hear the famous Mary Black version here at Youtube

“Did you ever eat Colcannon, made from lovely pickled cream?
With the greens and scallions mingled like a picture in a dream.
Did you ever make a hole on top to hold the melting flake
Of the creamy, flavoured butter that your mother used to make?”

The chorus:

“Yes you did, so you did, so did he and so did I.
And the more I think about it sure the nearer I’m to cry.
Oh, wasn’t it the happy days when troubles we had not,
And our mothers made Colcannon in the little skillet pot.”

Cauliflower Colcannon

This Cauliflower colcannon recipe can still be served the traditional Irish way with a crater of melted butter in the middle
Usually this is made with potato and cabbage, but I decided to switch it out to cauliflower instead of potato  because well, I love cauliflower, and I thought it was a better alternative with nutrients. We’ve used mashed cauliflower before instead of potato so it seemed natural it could be used in colcannon also, which is really just a variation of mashed potato with cabbage. This serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups of cauliflower florets – this was the florets from about a 2 1/3 pound cabbage
  • 1 cup of 2 percent milk
  • 4 tablespoons butter divided (3 tablespoons for the cabbage and 1 later for the combination into colcannon), plus more for serving. Ideally use Irish butter for serving!
  • 1/2 of a small green cabbage (about half a 1 pound cabbage)
  • 2 roasted garlic cloves, minced
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Bring cauliflower florets and milk to a simmer in large saucepan. Reduce heat to low. Cover pan and let the cauliflower soften, which might take 15 – 20 minutes depending on the size of your florets.
  2. Meanwhile, with your half a cabbage, with the cut-side down, slice it as thinly as possible into shreds, and probably cut it into thirds after that so they are not so long (think like cole slaw for inside a sandwich). Melt the two tablespoons of butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and begins to brown. Season with the salt and pepper, to taste.
    1/2 small cabbage is all that is needed for Cauliflower colcannon for 4-6 Slicing cabbage into shreds for a Cauliflower colcannon recipe
  3. When the cauliflower milk mixture is soft enough that you can mush it, transfer contents of the pan a big bowl and then use a potato masher to mash it. After mushing the cauliflower, pour in the sauteed cabbage and butter from the skillet, add the minced roasted garlic, the last tablespoon of butter (this is optional depending on how much butter was left with the sauteed cabbage) and salt and pepper to taste, and mix until all is incorporated.
    Recipe for Cauliflower Colcannon that switches out potato for cauliflower but tastes just as good Recipe for Cauliflower Colcannon that switches out potato for cauliflower but tastes just as good
  4. To serve the colcannon in the traditional Irish way, after you put your serving of cauliflower colcannon on the plate like a small mountain, push the back of a ladle down in the middle of each portion to make a crater in the middle. Think Crater Lake, and Mt St Helens. Now add a 1 little pat of butter into each of those craters, which should melt. Now each person eating the colcannon can scoop a little butter into each spoonful of colcannon.
    This Cauliflower colcannon recipe can still be served the traditional Irish way with a crater of melted butter in the middle This Cauliflower colcannon recipe can still be served the traditional Irish way with a crater of melted butter in the middle

I have seen variations of this recipe that swaps out the sauteed lettuce for kale, or for leeks, or may sprinkle a bit of cheese in, or horseradish. Instead of Irishing it up into a Colcannon, leave out the greens to make simple mashed cauliflower instead of your mashed potato for any meal – you don’t need it to be a holiday or St Patrick’s to enjoy this side dish. Anything you can do with mashed potatoes you can do here!
This Cauliflower colcannon recipe can still be served the traditional Irish way with a crater of melted butter in the middle This Cauliflower colcannon recipe can still be served the traditional Irish way with a crater of melted butter in the middle
Have you had mashed cauliflower before? Or had or made colcannon?

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