For a project still formulating, I have been working on some ideas that I hope will put some interesting meals on the dinner table.  When I was a girl, my mom and I would occasionally have waffles for dinner – complete with a side of bacon and lots of maple syrup just as we would normally have for a weekend breakfast.  Thinking about this sweet dinner, I wondered about turning it into a savory experience.  My dear husband, being happy to eat whatever I come up with, was game so the other night we had grainy waffles with a mushroom ragout for dinner.  The waffles were based on my sweet recipe (straight from mom’s kitchen) while the ragout was put together with whatever I had on hand.  They were a big hit – so much so, we asked the neighbors in to share.  And, here ‘tis for you!

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup rolled oats

¼ cup cornmeal

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon each salt and pepper

2 large eggs, separated

2 cups 2% milk

¼ cup olive oil

Mushroom Ragout

Combine the flour, oats, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl.

Combine the egg yolks with the milk and olive oil.  Set aside.

Using a hand held electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks.

Add the egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients and again, using the mixer, beat to just combine.  When blended, fold in the beaten egg whites to just barely incorporate.

Heat a waffle iron.  Add batter according to manufacturer’s directions and bake until golden brown and crisp.

Serve with the ragout on the side or over the top.

Easy Mushroom Ragout

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large shallots, peeled and minced

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

4 cups sliced mushrooms – any type will do

1½ cups chicken stock or low sodium, low-fat chicken broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Dried thyme, salt, and pepper to taste

1 cup shredded beet greens, kale, mustard greens, or Swiss chard

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.  Add the shallots and garlic and sauté for about 3 minutes or until just soft.

Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until the mushrooms have exuded moisture and begun to color.

Add the chicken stock and tomato paste, stirring to blend well.  Season thyme, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are quite soft and the mix is nicely flavored.

Stir in the greens and cook for an additional couple of minutes to just wilt.  Serve warm.

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I’m still blabbing about our fall trip to San Francisco.  There are 2 things we always do almost as soon as we arrive – visit Swan Oyster Depot (1517 Polk Street, 415-673-1101) and go to the Mission for Cal-Mex burritos.  They couldn’t be farther apart financially but they are both about on par with long lines and equally ardent supporters or detractors.  We, obviously, sit on the supporters side of the fence.  Swan’s has been around for years and years – never deviating from simple, straightforward service and food.  Just oysters, clams, salads and cocktails of shrimp, prawns, or Dungeness crab, chowder, smoked trout or salmon, wine, soft drinks, and sour dough bread.  If in season, I always have half a crab – the group always has oysters and/or clams and with whatever else they choose, but it is always SOS (sauce on the side).  We all love the each of the guys who serve as raconteur/owner/historian/waiter.  Baseball is huge so I always get a few words in about the old San Francisco Seals and their manager, Lefty O’Doul, who was a favorite of my mom.

Among other things, Swan Oyster Depot is famous for their Shrimp (tiny, pale salmon color curlicues – the big guys are called prawns) or Crab Louie.  The louie part is the dressing, a mayonnaise-based sauce rather like Russian Dressing.  Here is my version of that dressing.  Some people add chopped olives and/or chopped scallions, but this simple recipe reminds me of my childhood iceberg lettuce wedge with pale pink dressing sliding down the slope.

Louie Dressing for Shrimp, Crab, or Lobster Cocktail or Salad

Makes about 2 cups

1 cup fine quality mayonnaise

½ cup bottled chili sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce

¼ cup sweet pickle relish

Combine the mayo, chili sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco in a small bowl, whisking to blend thoroughly.  Fold in the relish.  Taste and, if necessary, add more lemon juice and Tabasco.

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I love, love, love Dungeness crab.  When I was a child, my brother would go down to Fisherman’s Wharf – this was when it still was a fisherman’s wharf – and buy a bucket load of live crabs for a couple of dollars.  Sometimes he would have them steamed and sometimes my mom would boil them at home.  This was usually done on a Friday night – newspapers were spread out on the floor and sliced lemons and a big green salad were placed in the center.  Sour dough bread was warmed, sliced, and wrapped in a towel.  Each of us – we usually had a crowd – got their own crab, crackers, and pick.  The feasting began.  This is probably my most memorable childhood meal.

To replicate it, on our last trip to San Francisco, we took a trip to the Ferry Plaza and bought fresh crabs at the San Francisco Fish Company (www.sanfranfish.com) – and not for a couple of bucks – along with sour dough bread from Acme Bakery (415-288-2978).  We took it all back to our son’s apartment where Chris boiled up the crabs in a big vat of beer-flavored water and I tossed a great green salad.  What a feast we had.  I wish that I could share the video with you – we all look like participants in a Jane Goodall documentary as Chris didn’t have the proper tools so we were cracking the shells with a mallet and picking out the crab meat with bamboo skewers – the intensity and focus were not too far removed from Ms. Goodall’s apes.

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