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Gramajo scrambled eggs: the history, the recipe and the best tips for making this still life delicacy

2023-02-28T10:04:26.547Z


With or without peas? Does it have onion and bell pepper? The formulas with which consecrated chefs achieve a succulent version.


The scrambled Gramajo is such a noble preparation that it is a starter, a main dish and a garnish.

It has simple ingredients and is not at all pretentious but about which controversy is always generated: egg, pie potatoes and cooked ham (no shoulder, much less cold cuts) are the ones that cannot be missing.

Peas create a dilemma among fans of this dish

and may or may not figure.

With it, the list extends to the onion, the bell pepper and some extra component that the cook wants to add.

It is part of the typical still life meals where it is usually served on an oval plate.

The recipe is abundant and it is always presented in relief: the mixture of egg and ham below and on top a mountain of

French fries cut so, so thin that they simulate straw.

On the palate it is an explosion of textures where creaminess and crispness are mixed in equal proportions.

Where and how the scrambled Gramajo was created

Gramajo scrambled eggs, a versatile and very simple dish to prepare.

The kitchen is a world of flavors, aromas and textures and each chef's recipe book comes with the addition of his own inspiration.

It is like giving a new flight to dishes that come from the time of the grandmothers and even further back.

The scrambled Gramajo (also known as scrambled "de" Gramajo)

does not escape this condition.

It has an original matrix and at the same time

has been reversed by expanding its original ingredients.

Chefs known for television shows have their own tips when it comes to getting their hands on this traditional dish.

Chantal Abad sautés plenty of onions and also uses peas.

Felicitas Pizarro says that she has prepared it with sweet potato fries, bacon, very creamy eggs and even basil.

Transgressive combinations if any.

Guillermo Calabrese

is also a supporter of what he calls the "extended version" of the classic:

chili peppers, onion, green onion, bell pepper.

Juan Braceli, from Cocineros Argentinos, agrees and uses both red and green bell peppers.

None of the specialists strays from the core of the dish: paille fries

(“papas pay”, as they are called in colloquial slang),

julienned cooked ham and scrambled eggs.

The historical recipe books of Doña Petrona and Blanca Cotta were pioneers in not straying too far from tradition.

Gramajo scrambled eggs from El Globo Restaurant where they do not use peas. Photo: Fernando de la Orden

On Canal Gourmet, the brilliant duo of

Gato Dumas and Ramiro Rodríguez Pardo,

two master chefs of stellar rank and international contact, disclosed their own recipe in the well-remembered cycle “Gato pardo de Colección”: they used smoked bacon (“bacon or bacon” they called it).

They also resorted instead of potatoes to "sweet potatoes"

, today known as sweet potato, onions cut into feathers, and suggested taking the changes up to a couple of cloves of garlic, as well as a little quality olive oil.

For all these additions they called it "generous Gramajo scrambled eggs".

They gave it aroma and flavor with freshly ground black pepper and aromatic herbs, such as chives.

According to Dumas

, through Argentine ranchers and businessmen,

the dish reached cities like Nice, Cannes, and even the prestigious Maxim restaurant in Paris in the middle of the last century.

And even the English took it, who according to Dumas's version established it as an obligatory breakfast for their troops in India.

Paille or pay potatoes, key ingredient of the Gramajo scrambled eggs.

Regarding the origin of this homemade delicacy and its very simple preparation, although there is a consensus that it is a dish that was not based on cuisines with immigrant influences from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, today it is known that the legend

that A colonel of General Roca

, twice President of the Republic,

with the last name Gramajo, prepared for his boss in the middle of the campaign a dish based on ham, potatoes and egg is false.

The historian, poet and journalist Félix Luna, in his fiction book "Soy Roca", recounted the anecdote to which historical rank was awarded in some gastronomic sources.

Seeing that more than one took it for granted, Luna went out to clarify that it was her creation, pure fiction. 

According to Daniel Balmaceda,

a scholar of gastronomy in Argentine society

, the creator of the dish had the last name Gramajo,

but it was not Artemio,

Colonel de Roca from Santiago,

but Arturo.

A good cooked ham, key ingredient of the Gramajo scrambled eggs.

Photo: Golden Seal.

In his book "Food in Argentine History" Balmaceda assures that the creation was the work of Arturo Gramajo from Buenos Aires, "

a dandy from the 30s, a close friend of Macoco Alzaga Unzue". 

Balmaceda quotes the gastronomic journalist Miguel Brascó and tells that the dish was lit in a Paris hotel.

However,

Alejandro Maglione, the late gastronomic journalist and alma mater of the Los Gramajos brotherhood,

a group of fervent fans of the classic scrambled gramajo,

took it for granted that the dish originates from Buenos Aires.

In various interviews, he said that

it was served for the first time in a Buenos Aires restaurant called Río Bamba, located on Calle Santa Fe and Riobamba, where Gramajo was a regular customer.

They say that he arrived with his friends and found that the cooks had withdrawn because it was very late in the morning.

He then entered the kitchen to "prepare something with what he finds."

And he found potatoes, eggs and ham.

How to make Gramajo scrambled eggs

The peas, one of the "controversial" ingredients of the scrambled Gramajo.

For the dish to turn out perfect,

you have to have a certain notion of the

timing

that is needed.

The French fries, paille or pay -although they are very thin and cooking in plenty of hot oil is short- they should be ready when the scrambled eggs themselves begin to cook.

You have to choose a good frying pan, one of those that does not disappoint you and the egg does not stick

.

Regarding the eggs, there are two options: they are quickly beaten in a bowl or added directly to the hot, lightly oiled pan.

Whichever option is chosen, the next step is to

quickly move the eggs so that they do not form an omelette but rather "scramble".

Immediately afterwards,

add the thin strips of cooked ham

(technically called Juliana) and continue stirring.

Salt, freshly ground black pepper (or whatever you want).

If the plan is to add peas, this is the time to do it.

As soon as it begins to set, the scrambled eggs are removed and plated.

On top are placed the mega crispy potatoes and, if desired, a shower of chopped fresh parsley.

With what to accompany the scrambled Gramajo

Gramajo scrambled eggs and IPA beer, a great combination.

Photo: Tesone

Of course, the possible combinations are infinite and totally subjective.

Each palate will be responsible for creating that communion that makes this recipe memorable. 

As a suggestion, we can say that

the milanesas are great companions for this scramble.

Fried or baked;

chicken, meat or pork serve as a "mattress" to support the mixture and drive the diner who receives it crazy.

Baked meats are also a good pairing with scrambled eggs.

Michelle Elbaum, sommelier, awarded sixth place in the Best Sommelier of Argentina 2022 Contest, points out that when choosing an agreement between a drink and a dish, it is essential to understand the ingredients that compose it.

"The gramajo scramble is an unctuous, powerful preparation, whose backbone is the silkiness provided by the beaten eggs and the crispness of the pie potatoes", he explains and clarifies that "egg preparations - with the melting yolk -

are

not

good friends of red wines

, since a chemical reaction is generated between the two, returning a metallic taste to the mouth”.

The wine specialist suggests that the companion of the glass be a Chardonnay with body and a certain freshness, since it allows the unctuousness of the dish to be matched.

Another partner that can provide fruity and floral aromas is IPA beer.

 “It is a very fresh exponent that will highlight the flavors of the onion and peas, adding freshness and maltiness."

Gramajo scrambled eggs recipe with video

Homemade Gramajo scrambled eggs.

Photo: Tesone

Look at the step by step of the scrambled eggs recipe


look also

Giant and overloaded Milanese: 9 places for fans of XL portions

The famous tucuman milanesa sandwich is now also made in Buenos Aires: does it come out the same?

Source: clarin

All news articles on 2023-02-28

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