PA Eating: Dino-Chow Breakfast

http://www.MelJoulwan.com/2010/06/08/pa-eating-dino-chow-breakfast/

My dad owned a restaurant when I was a kid, and cooking is in my family’s DNA. It’s been especially exciting for me lately because my parents have adopted dino-chow habits to varying degrees – which means that now, we enjoy our family bond over healthy, delicious food.

We like to play the “You Know How You Could Do That? Game”… in which we eat something, ponder it for a few moments, then one-up each other with ideas about how it could be done differently or better. This is very helpful when trying to adapt favorite meals or recipes to the new dino-chow lifestyle.

When I was home over the Memorial Day weekend, we cooked some mighty feasts, starting with breakfast on Friday morning.

First, my dad made delicious coffee (served in pretty little cups my mom bought in Venice).

Our meal was strawberries, pork sausage, sautéed cabbage, and mollet eggs, which are what hard-boiled eggs aspire to be; more on the mollet eggs later. Here’s my dad cooking the sausage and cabbage.

And this is the final spread. No toast. No potatoes. No one felt deprived.

And this is my personal plate. Yummy!

So… what the devil is a mollet egg? It’s similar to hard-boiled except the white is firm instead of rubbery, the yolk is smooth and silky instead of dry, and it’s served warm. Mom ate some in Italy and fell in love, so last weekend, through trial and error, we learned the best way to make them.

Mollet Eggs
2

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, then reduce to a simmer.

3

Gently lower the eggs into the simmering water and cook for 6-8 minutes, depending on how much movement you want in your yolks. I like ZERO movement, so went for the longer time.

4

Drain, peel (carefully!), and eat.

These keep in the fridge just like hard-boiled and are delicious warm, cold, on salads, and mixed with homemade mayo.

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Comments

  • Anonymous says:

    That all looks delicious. What oil and spices did your dad use to saute the cabbage, it looks so good?

    Claudia

  • Melissa 'Melicious' Joulwan says:

    We had the cabbage twice! The first time, we sauteed an onion in coconut oil, then added the cabbage, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

    The second time, Mom took the helm. First, she fried some bacon and set it aside, then drained off some of the fat, but left a little in the pan… sauteed an onion, then cabbage, salt, pepper, and a few slices of bacon, chopped into 1-inch pieces.

    Both batches were great!

  • Ali Nichols says:

    This looks so yummy! I love your blog. I was able to officially meet Melissa and Dallas from Whole 9 about a week ago and Melissa referred me to your website. I check it every day now:) Love the way you write! Melissa has helped me out so much with my eating and its a big learning process for me! I started the Whole 30 on June 1st too, so your website keeps me motivated. Keep up the great posts!

  • Melissa 'Melicious' Joulwan says:

    Hi, Ali! Welcome! And I'm glad you like my blog; you're very kind to say so.

    Melissa, a.k.a., the Moxy-Boss, is a wonder woman, isn't she? She's really taught me a lot about how to THINK about food so eating finally feels natural and normal. Whew!

    Good luck with your Whole30!

  • AllieNic says:

    Yay for more food pictures! That meal looks delicious! Especially the sausage and cabbage…I'm definitely going to give the eggs a try!

  • Melissa 'Melicious' Joulwan says:

    Try the eggs for sure! I've been eating a fair amount of fried and hard-boiled, so these are a nice change.

  • Karyn says:

    Thanks for the egg recipe! I never know how long to boil eggs, plus they usually "cook" while the water is coming to a boil, and mine end up HARD boiled, but I like soft boiled. We can't have too many ways to prepare eggs on Paleo… ~Karyn

  • Melissa 'Melicious' Joulwan says:

    Hey, Karyn. If you try the mollet eggs, pop back and let me know how you like 'em!

  • Ehsa says:

    Great looking meal, especially the sausage & cabbage! I'm curious: do you use any particular brand or type of chicken sausage (like is it organic, or homemade, or additive-free, etc)?

  • Melissa 'Melicious' Joulwan says:

    I eat Buddy's Natural Chicken Sausage made from happy chickens here in Texas. http://theclothesmakethegirl.blogspot.com/2010/02/these-are-few-of-my-favorite-things.html

    Hey, readers! Anyone have a suggestion for sausage outside the Lone Star State?

  • Chris says:

    Love the mollet eggs! I’ve never been able to make a hard-cooked egg that the shell peeled off easily, and this process works great! Thanks!

  • pjnoir says:

    eggs cooked a little too long boil water eggs in for 6 mins- no longer. quickly drain, rattle the pot to slightly crack the egg and allow ice cold water to help free the shell ( fresh farm eggs need that)

    look here:
    http://ingredients-mp.blogspot.com/2011/06/mollet-perfect-soft-yolked-egg.html

    nice blog wish I was as active.

  • Karen says:

    Mmmmm hot boiled eggs! From the time I was a small child my mom would make me hot boiled eggs dolloped with ….. MAYO! Try it! Divinity on a plate! Mmmmm makes me want and go make some now!

  • Becky says:

    Have you ever tried steaming the eggs? I put them over boiling water in a steamer basket, cover and steam for 12-14 min. If you want the yolk to be not quite solid as above, steam them 10-11 min. The white is always creamy and the yolk is very tender and silky. Plus the peel comes right off, no chunks coming off in the peel. I never boil them anymore!

  • Shannon says:

    Love these!

  • Weezie says:

    If keeping in the fridge, would you peel them first? How would you store them? Trying these for breakfast this week… Whee! Happy New Year!

    • It’s best to store hard-boiled or mollet eggs in their shells, then peel just before eating.

      • Weezie says:

        Great, thank you!! Longtime reader, trying Paleo for a second time with a more realistic set of goals, and I just got both of your books for Christmas! Call me motivated 😉 Thanks for doing what you do, Melissa!

      • Weezie says:

        Edited to add: I’m working on your whole Dino-Chow breakfast for this week, plus I’ve made your Czechit meatballs (ha) with your mustard-garlic Brussels sprouts for lunches and your favorite chili for dinners (over cabbage/chard topped with avocado and a fried egg). Needless to say, I’m a fan.

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