| | Published August 7th, 2019
| A simple twist for a sumptuous weekend breakfast
| | | By Susie Iventosch |  | | Reuben Scramble Photo Susie Iventosch |
This is not so much a recipe as a great idea. We recently spent a couple of nights at the Minam River Lodge in Oregon. The lodge is perched on the banks of the Minam River and located in the Eagle Cap Wilderness of the Wallowa Mountains in northeastern Oregon. This is a place you can only access by hiking, horseback or small airplane, which makes it very special. Both the head chef, Carl Krause, and the assistant chef, Suzanne Ziegler, make some very interesting dishes, using fresh grown vegetables right out of their own greenhouse and garden. The property has its very own gardener too, and Emily Garland does an amazing job of keeping fresh produce front and center as focal points for the breakfast and dinner menus. The greenhouse is approximately 25 feet by 40 feet, so she is able to grow much of the produce the lodge needs for feeding guests. Not only is there amazing hiking, fishing and huckleberry picking nearby, but the greenhouse is worthy of a tour all by itself.
One of the nights we were there, Carl made the most amazing polenta dish I've ever tasted. While he didn't give me an exact recipe, he did say that one of the keys is using evaporated milk. Because the lodge must have any ingredients they don't grow on the premises flown in, he's found that using evaporated milk has been a great help for many of his recipes. I am a huge polenta fan and Carl's was truly remarkable.
The next morning, we had a delightful breakfast scramble of eggs, pastrami and Swiss cheese. I have to admit that I was immediately intrigued, because I love Reuben sandwiches. This scramble did not disappoint and I am definitely going to serve it as a weekend special. It's easy, because you don't have to cook bacon or sausage; instead you just toss some chopped pastrami into the beaten eggs along with a little grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese and that is it. Delicious and fantastically easy.
Recipe per person
INGREDIENTS
2-3 eggs per person
1 slice of pastrami, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese, divided by retaining 1 tablespoon aside
1/2 tablespoon butter or olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Beat eggs into a bowl. Mix in pastrami and most of the grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat butter or olive oil in skillet. Place egg mixture into pan and cook until desired doneness. Remove skillet from oven and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Place under broiler for a few minutes until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Serve with toast, biscuits, or English muffins and hash browns. |
 | | Susie can be reached at suziventosch@gmail.com. This recipe can be found on our website: www.lamorindaweekly.com. If you would like to share your favorite recipe with Susie please contact her by email or call our office at (925) 377-0977. | | | | | | | | | | | |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA