ORIGINAL RECIPE EGGKAKE (THE SPECIAL

Stormer Yttri

My father emigrated to Canada from Norway in 1955 with little more than the clothes in his small suitcase and a whole lot of anxiety and homesickness . . . combined with an even higher degree of excitement and hope. His story was not very different from the hundreds of thousands of other European immigrants who made their way to Canada in the mid-century. They were looking for opportunities that were not available to them in the “Old Country.” They brought fresh ideas and enthusiasm, different cultures, languages—and recipes! When the editor of The Scrivener asked me to share a recipe with the readers, I was to ensure it was unique and, of course delicious. This is the simple breakfast recipe my father brought with him from Norway. Eggkake, which translates to “egg cake,” was a breakfast staple and remains one of my all-time favourite comfort foods. In fact, in our household, eggkake is translated to “The Special.” Over the years, I have added ingredients (like cheese or dill or onions) but I always find myself moving back to the original recipe.

EGGKAKE (THE SPECIAL)

Use a 10” to 12” pan. Heavy cast iron is always best.

5 to 6 slices bacon

3 eggs (we are lucky to have access to fresh Ameraucana eggs from our friend’s farm)

3 Tbsp flour 1 Tsp baking powder ¼ cup water Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Combine eggs, water, salt, pepper, and baking powder and stir with fork until smooth. Stir in flour until batter has a lumpy consistency. Cut bacon slices in half and fry in pan, turning often until slightly caramelized. Spread bacon evenly on the pan and pour the liquid mix over the bacon. (Traditionally, all the bacon fat is left in the pan but feel free to pour some off.) Fry in pan until solid enough to flip (about 2 minutes). Flip in pan with two spatulas and cook for 1 minute. Remove from pan, cut in wedges.

Serves 3

Serve with toast, jam, cheese, and fried tomato (and ketchup, for those so inclined).