Tom's Special

[Tommy T.]

Do like me and check online and you will find lot's of recipes for "Joe's Special," and I think they are all great...

One night, many years ago, I was about half drunk and wandering around Seattle looking for some food. I chanced upon the 13 Coins restaurant that a workmate had touted to me a while before. It is a great restaurant that is open 24/7 and sports gourmet food always. So I wandered in, sat down and perused the rather short, but complete menu. I chose their "Joe's Special," and was not at all disappointed.

It is a fairly simple dish of eggs, ground beef, spices, mushrooms (depending on your version).

So I remembered this dish and - as I usually do - altered and, I think, enhanced it... So now I call it Tom's Special.

Anyway, here it is. I made this for last night's dinner:

6 extra large or jumbo eggs

1 pound - 500 gms - lean ground beef

1 package local spinach (remember, I was a sailor - gotta have the spinach!)

some chopped cabbage if you want more greens (I usually do)

about 1/2 yellow onion chopped

several cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped finely

some chopped green and red bell peppers - maybe about 1/2  cup of each

salt to taste

pepper to taste

nutmeg to taste

This is such a simple dish to prepare...

Just cook up the ground beef and then drain off the excess fat and remove from the frying pan.

Put some olive oil in the frying pan and then heat and saute first the onions, then add the garlic and bell peppers. Do not burn the garlic or it will taste bitter.

Dump in the already browned ground beef and canned or fresh chopped mushrooms. Add the spinach in small batches so you can stir it in and it cooks down. Do the same if you add camote leaves or cabbage.... Just cook it down until it reduces in size and becomes manageable.

The pan does not need to be super hot - just medium or even low heat. Now add the slightly beaten eggs and then salt and pepper (I always use freshly ground coarse black pepper) and stir as it cooks. It does not take long and you don't want to cook the eggs to death - just so they are somewhat cooked. Add nutmeg to taste - nutmeg always adds a very nice taste to spinach dishes - at least in my opinion.

Serve hot on plates.

Sprinkle grated cheese on top - Parmesan is preferred, but Romano or just sharp cheddar work fine too.

Spritz on some chipotle Tabasco sauce or any hot sauce you may prefer, if you wish. Throw on some sour cream or yogurt on top of that.

This is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner... so you can enjoy it with coffee, orange juice or beer...or Tanduay!

Edited April 6, 2020 by Tommy T.

[graham59]

I often cook my own (similar) version of that, but add chopped microwaved potatoes,  browned in the pan with the onions, rather than the beef. I avoid red meat.  Plenty of protein in the eggs anyway, of course. 

A wide range of spices can be added too, to vary the taste.  

[Tommy T.]

Yeah... And I forgot to mention that L had bought something called gilinging? It's essentially chopped up potatoes and carrots. I sauteed that too last night and added that to the dish. Never go wrong with carrots and potatoes!

It is one of those dishes that you can make with almost any additions or changes - like you have done - and it is still really tasty and nutritious!

[Gator]

I also do something similar and it’s good way to use up leftovers in the fridge. 
 

You can also turn it into a Frittata - after adding the eggs, cook slightly but before the eggs set pop the pan into a preheated oven and bake (or broil) it for a few minutes (until top starts to brown).  I like to sprinkle on some grated Asiago, Extra Sharp Cheddar or Parmigiano - Reggiano cheese first. If you don’t have an oven you can cook the eggs a bit more first and then use a blow torch to brown the top and melt the cheese. Just be careful not to burn it, lol. 
 

Adding a bit of milk or heavy cream to the beaten eggs can be done too. Will make the dish richer and more like a quiche. 

[Heeb]

On 4/6/2020 at 3:55 PM, Tommy T. said:

 chanced upon the 13 Coins restaurant that a workmate had touted to me a while before. It is a great restaurant that is open 24/7 and sports gourmet food always. So I wandered in, sat down and perused the rather short, but complete menu. I chose their "Joe's Special," and was not at all disappointed.

We used to eat there after night shift sometimes, great food.

[Mike J]

Speaking of good food.

[JDDavao II]

23 hours ago, Heeb said:

We used to eat there after night shift sometimes, great food.

Excellent restaurant! Long counter, high-backed booths, great food. If I remember right, it got new owners in the mid-2000s and then closed but reopened in Pioneer Square. It was never the same after it was sold.

[Heeb]

It was near SeaTac when I was going there, I haven’t been since probably 2003 so I’m not sure.

[Tommy T.]

2 hours ago, JDDavao said:

Excellent restaurant! Long counter, high-backed booths, great food. If I remember right, it got new owners in the mid-2000s and then closed but reopened in Pioneer Square. It was never the same after it was sold.

 

1 hour ago, Heeb said:

It was near SeaTac when I was going there, I haven’t been since probably 2003 so I’m not sure.

There was one near SeaTac for a number of years plus the original one on Denny Way, I think? Not so sure about that.

Two years ago (2017 actually)  was my last visit to Seattle and, as soon as I got off my flight and picked up my rental car, I bee-lined for the SeaTac restaurant at 7 am, and it was still operating. I had the Joe's Special and it was good but did NOT seem as special as I remembered. And the price was something like $14? I'm not sure I would go back. But I loved the ambiance still.

Edited April 9, 2020 by Tommy T.

[JDDavao II]

12 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

 

There was one near SeaTac for a number of years plus the original one on Denny Way, I think? Not so sure about that.

Two years ago (2017 actually)  was my last visit to Seattle and, as soon as I got off my flight and picked up my rental car, I bee-lined for the SeaTac restaurant at 7 am, and it was still operating. I had the Joe's Special and it was good but did seem as special as I remembered. And the price was something like $14? I'm not sure I would go back. But I loved the ambiance still.

I forgot the one in SeaTac. The original owner's wife opened a few places after he died. I thought she lost them all but she must have sold both 13 Coins to the same investor group. I ate at the one on Denny Way a couple of times before it changed hands.