I’ve got a fantastic -not to mention easy- and slightly strange lunch recipe to share that I got from a friend of mine. I guess you could say I’m blessed, recipes find their way to me from all over the world.

But this one’s the real deal. It’s filling enough to hold you over ’til dinner, and that’s exactly how I like my food. I don’t do well on just salads or flimsy sandwiches. Well.. not unless it’s this salad.

Anyway, this is the perfect lunch for me in every possible way. It’s got just enough of everything: savoriness, sweetness and zing. I’m sure you will like it.

Ingredients:

1 ciabatta (mine was a pre-bake)
9 oz ground beef
1 small onion
5 oz mushrooms
1 jalapeño
3 tbsp sweet soy sauce (ketjap)
1 tsp worcestershiresauce
1 1/2 tbsp dried parsley
1 garlic clove
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
salt & pepper
lettuce

Directions:

Slice the onions in half-quarts. Mince the jalapeño, grate the garlic and clean and slice the mushrooms.

In a bowl you combine the milk and eggs.

Add the sweet soy sauce (Ketjap), the garlic and some pepper and salt to taste.

 
Can’t buy the thick sweet soy sauce where you are and not in the mood to make it yourself? Don’t sweat it; just use regular soy sauce and add a tbsp or so brown sugar.
 

Sprinkle in the parsley and give everything a good stir. Set it aside and let the flavors marry.

 
That has to be the weirdest phrase of them all: “Let the flavors marry“. Ranks right up there with ‘making onions sweat‘.
 

I still had pre-bake ciabatta in my pantry, but a ‘regular’ one will do, too. Slice it in half lengthwise.

Brown the ground beef and break it up with a spatula. Once it starts to lose its rawness, add the onions and jalapeño.

Cook for a minute or three.

Pour in a tsp or so of worcestershiresauce. This will give it an extra meaty flavor. Add more if you like.

Add the mushrooms and cook them just long enough for them to soak up the liquid. No longer, they’ll also get some oven time.

Lower the heat and slowly stir in the egg and milk mix. The eggs will set immediately. That’s good, or it t would become a soupy mess. Spoon the meat mix on top of the ciabatta halves.

Bake the ciabatta’s in a preheated oven at 350˚F (175˚C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Until brown and crunchy.

 
Top with the lettuce. It doesn’t just look great but it makes for a wonderful texture and crunch. Trust me, it works.
 

If this won’t keep you going ’til dinner…. nothing will.