throwback thursday: original Joe’s recipe
If you grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1960’s, chances are your family had this for dinner at some point. For a time, it was the signature dish at a restaurant called Original Joe’s, though I only ever enjoyed it at home. This was one of my Dad’s favorite dinners, and at our house we had this at least a couple of times per month.
A few weeks ago I had a hankering for this tasty scramble and tracked down the recipe online. Here’s a very basic version; you can add any number of seasonings including but not limited to Worcestershire sauce, chili and cumin, soy sauce, cilantro, whatever.
“Original Joe’s” Recipe (serves 4)
2 TBSP olive oil
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
8 oz. ground chuck (you can also use ground turkey)
1 10-oz. package frozen spinach, thawed, drained and with excess liquid squeezed out in paper towels
8 eggs, lightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste (freshly ground on both if you have available)
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan (I use a Parmesan/Reggiano blend)
Heat oil in skillet, cook garlic and onion until soft. Add meat, stirring until browned. Add spinach, stir and cook until heated through. Add eggs, stir and cook until eggs are dry. Add Parmesan, stir until melted.
You can serve with garlic bread, baguette or rice for an easy, tasty dinner.
Enjoy!
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I am a native San Franciscan (7th generation native Californian) who grew up in the ’70s; this is familiar to me. Thank you for the recipe; I’ll be making it sans meat. Looks very tasty!
This looks sooooo good…can never get too much garlic and onion!
Cool! I’ve been to that restaurant and had that dish several times in my life. They serve it regularly here in Seattle at 13 Coins. I’m going to copy this. Thanks for sharing!
That sounds so good. I’ve never heard of it but I didn’t grow up in the Bay area. My mom had a dish she called “Texas Hash”. She made it with ground beef, a can of whole tomatoes, onion, rice & who knows what else. It was a skillet dish. I don’t recall if I liked it or not. I’ve never tried to duplicate it so…probably not although I didn’t learn to like tomatoes, except in spaghetti sauce, until my twenties.
Yum! Looks fast and easy — and nutritious as well. I’m definitely trying this one.
This just sounds yummy! Thanks for the recipe!
I want to try this! Do you think it would work to make just half of this recipe?
My mom made this all the time in the 60’s and 70’s and it was one of our favorites as kids. I make it now for my family and toss it with cooked farfalle as a yummy pasta dish.
I’ve never thought of adding farfelle. A great way to stretch the recipe.
I like to add in a few grape tomatoes that I’ve quartered. I stir them at the last minute so I won’t overcook the tomatoes. It adds in a bit of bright color.
This is a great meal if you are tired or in a hurry.
I grew up in San Francisco in the late ’70s and ’80s and my parents (also Bay Area native) made this all the time! I think they called it Joe’s Special. We used to go to Original Joe’s, Marin Joe’s, and sometimes Westlake Joe’s. I hadn’t thought about this meal in ages – thanks for the happy memory!
This is a delightful walk down memory lane. I recently became aware of your blog and now it is the firs thing I read in the morning.! Thank you for sharing you insight and inspiration
My husband hasalways loved this recipe. Thanks for the reminder. Could you please write a posyt on how you shop and how you keep on top of everythig stylish? You havea very full life, how do you have the time for shopping also? That Alexander McQueen scarf is to die. I will be looking for that one for years. Yet you found it and grabbed it up in heartbeat. Would love to kow how you do it. Broke my wrist plus other bones andcan’t do anything for a while. When I’m better would love to see you. Don’t bring ths scarf, I might spirit it away. I’m serious!
I’ve never heard of that dish, but it looks intriguing. What do you suppose the origins of it were? You could certainly add some flatleaf parsley or cilantro (fresh coriander), finely chopped at the end, for even more vitamins. RM, would you add some meat substitute (or chopped mushrooms, or sweet red peppers) instead of the beef or turkey?
I have used tofu for this dish but it’s a little on the bland side by itself. I’ll add in a little salsa for flavor or worcestershire sauce. I have added mushrooms and it has worked very well.
I forgot to add – I use egg white instead of eggs when I make this dish. The egg/egg white and turkey combination makes it a high protein dish so a lot of men like it. It’s great for fat loss when you’re trying to take off that last 5 pounds. Satisfying and filling!
Sounds great! Although I live alone, I’d like to make the recipe as given. Does the dish freeze well?
Omg! I did grow up in the bay! And remember going to joe’ for the special! ( ok and veal parmason ,back when we didn’t know better)
I thought I had done a good job replicating,but I missed a few ingredients the onion and olive oil!
Thanks for posting!