JOE'S SPECIAL

SOURCE: MARION CUNNINGHAM. LOST RECIPES: MEALS TO SHARE WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY.

“Joe” may stand for the ordinary in the English lexicon, but any San Francisco Bay Area-based restaurateur who went by that name during the 1920s and 1930s laid special claim to a hash of ground beef, chopped spinach, and scrambled eggs. Godfather to all these dining Joes was New Joe’s, which, ironically, was not owned by Joe Such-and-such but by a certain Pietro Arrigoni! When New Joe’s closed, another Joe restaurant, Original Joe’s, took over the mantle in perpetuating the wholesome spirit of the dish to the level of modern comfort food for locals and even home cooks.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons/45 mL vegetable oil

2 cups/100 grams finely chopped onions

1 pound/450 grams lean ground beef

1 pound/450 grams fresh spinach, washed, blanched for 1 minute in boiling water, and coarsely chopped

Salt to taste

Hot sauce OR Tabasco sauce to taste

4 eggs, lightly beaten eggs

1/4 cup/23 grams freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Specific Equipment

Large nonstick skillet

Wooden fork

Serves 4

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sauté in the onions for 5 minutes or until the onions have softened but not browned.

2. Stir in the beef, breaking the beef down into small bits withe a wooden fork. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until the beef has lost its redness. Stir in the spinach and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the spinach has wilted and almost dried. Season with salt and a dash of hot sauce or Tabasco to taste.

3. Pour the eggs over the mixture and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until the eggs are set and cooked and the mixture is well-blended.

4. Remove the skillet for heat and transfer the beef mixture to a warm serving platter. Sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the beef-spinach mixture before serving.