Do batter one better and go beyond breakfast with your waffle iron

Opinion

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This article was published 22/10/2014 (3979 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Have you ever found yourself standing in the kitchen, staring at a boneless chicken breast and asking yourself the question: What would happen if I stick this in my waffle iron?

The answer you seek can be found in Daniel Shumski’s new cookbook Will It Waffle? (Workman Publishing, 208 pp., $19.95).

And the answer, by the way, is a resounding ‘Yes!’ The followup question is: Why?

“You know, I had this waffle iron and I love waffles, but what I don’t love are appliances that only do one thing,” says Shumski, 37.

“The waffle iron was sort of a ‘uni-tasker’ in my mind. So I started thinking, this thing has got to be capable of more than just making waffles.”

Shumski says he loves to experiment in the kitchen, so he decided to try a waffleburger.

“I made the patty in the waffle iron, waffled the bun dough in the waffle iron, melted the cheese on the patty on the waffle iron — the whole nine yards… and it worked!” he says.

He says that like anything else, once you get success, you want to keep going. So he started a blog.

“I came up with 30 recipes to make in the waffle iron that were most definitely not waffles. And that blog proved to be the departure point for the book.”

The journalist/writer/blogger says he’s always loved cooking. In addition to past gigs at the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune, he did a stint at a farmers market for a few seasons selling fruit for an orchard.

“This introduced me to a lot of chefs who would come to buy at the market and got me even more into cooking,” he says.

In the process of learning, Shumski says he’s waded through the goo to get to the good.

“When it comes to failed experiments, what I can say is that, fortunately, the list of things that will waffle is longer than the list of things that won’t,” he says.

“But the great part is that I made the mistakes so the readers don’t have to, unless they want to go off in their own direction and experiment on their own, which I definitely encourage.”

And Shumski wants to encourage everyone.

“When it comes to who wants to waffle, I think the answer is anyone who wants to have a little fun in the kitchen, who wants to try something a little different, or who wants to learn a new shortcut or two.”

Find out even more about Daniel Shumski and see other waffle recipes (click on Blog Archives) at www.willitwaffle.com or find him at danielshumski.com.

 

What’s the strangest thing you’ve made in a waffle iron? Join the conversation in the comments below.

 

Chicken Parmesan with Waffled Vegetables

175 ml (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

Hot sauce, such as Tabasco, to taste

375 ml (1 1/2 cup) plain bread crumbs

50 ml (1/4 cup) grated Parmesan cheese

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

5 ml (1 tsp) salt

5 ml (1 tsp) freshly ground black pepper

500 ml (2 cup) marinara sauce (your favourite)

4 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (750 g or 1 1/2 lbs total)

non-stick cooking spray

125 ml (1/2 cup) grated mozzarella cheese

Waffled Vegetables (recipe follows)

Fresh whole basil leaves (optional)

 

Preheat the waffle iron (Belgian or standard) on medium.

Place the flour in a shallow bowl. In a second shallow bowl, beat the eggs with a few drops of hot sauce.

In a third shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and lemon zest. Add 2 ml (1/ 2 tsp) of the salt and 2 ml (1/ 2 tsp) of the pepper.

Bring the marinara sauce to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.

Put a single layer of the chicken in a zip-top bag, set it on a flat surface, and press down on the chicken with a cutting board, rolling pin, or heavy frying pan, until the chicken is about 1/ 4 inch thick.

Remove the chicken from the bag, place it on a clean cutting board, and sprinkle the remaining 2 ml (1/ 2 tsp) each of salt and pepper over it. Repeat steps 5 and 6 with remaining chicken.

Dredge a chicken cutlet in the flour, shaking off any excess. Transfer it to the bowl with the egg and turn the chicken to coat. Allow the excess egg mixture to drip back into the bowl, then coat the chicken with the breadcrumb mixture, pressing the mixture to the chicken so it sticks. Set it aside on a platter and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Coat both sides of the waffle iron grid with non-stick spray. Place the chicken in the waffle iron, close the lid, and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 4 minutes.

Top the chicken with the grated mozzarella and close the lid for 20 seconds to allow the cheese to melt. Remove the chicken from the waffle iron.

Ladle about 125 ml (1/ 2 c) marinara sauce per portion onto a plate and then place the chicken on top of the sauce. Drizzle with a little more sauce, add the waffled vegetables to the plate, and garnish everything with the basil.

Serves 4.

 

Waffled Vegetables

2 medium zucchini (about 500 g or 1 lb), cut into 1-cm-thick (1/2-inch) chunks

1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 0.5-cm-wide (1/4-inch) strips

30 ml (2 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil

1 ml (1/4 tsp) salt

 

Preheat the waffle iron on medium.

Toss the zucchini and the pepper with the olive oil and salt in a large bowl.

Place as many vegetables as will fit on the waffle iron, close the lid, and cook until the zucchini has softened but is not mushy, 4 minutes.

Use silicone-tipped tongs to remove the vegetables, and place them on a serving plate.

Repeat Steps 3 and 4 with the remaining vegetables.

Makes 4 servings.

 

Sweet-and-Sour Waffled Shrimp Wontons

250 g (8 oz) cooked and chilled shrimp (31-40 count or 41-50 count per pound), peeled, tails removed

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

60 ml (1/4 cup) finely chopped scallions, both green and white parts

1 clove garlic, minced

10 ml (2 tsp) light brown sugar

10 ml (2 tsp) distilled white vinegar

2 ml (1/2 tsp) grated or minced fresh ginger

3 ml (3/4 tsp) salt

2 ml (1/2 tsp) freshly ground black pepper

1 package wonton wrappers (at least 32 wrappers), about 3 1/2 inches per side

Non-stick cooking spray

Ginger-Sesame Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)

 

Finely chop the shrimp so that they end up as almost a paste. If you want to use a food processor, a half-dozen quick pulses should accomplish this. Place the chopped shrimp in a medium-size bowl.

Add the egg white, scallion, garlic, sugar, vinegar, ginger, salt, and pepper to the shrimp, stir to mix thoroughly, and set aside.

Preheat the waffle iron (Belgian or standard) on high. Preheat the oven on its lowest setting.

To form the dumplings, remove a wonton wrapper from the package. Using a pastry brush or a clean finger, wet all 4 edges of the wrapper. Place a scant tablespoon of the shrimp mixture in the centre and top with another wonton wrapper. Press along the edges to seal. The water should act as glue. If you find a spot that’s not sticking, add a bit more water. Set aside the finished wonton, cover with a damp towel, and shape the rest.

Coat both sides of the waffle-iron grid with non-stick spray. Set as many wontons on the waffle iron as will comfortably fit and close the lid. Cook for 2 minutes before checking. The wonton wrapper should lose its translucency and the waffle marks should be deep golden brown. This may take up to 4 minutes. Remove the cooked wontons and keep them warm in the oven while the others cook.

Serve the wontons with the Ginger-Sesame Dipping Sauce. Makes 16 wontons.

 

Ginger-Sesame Dipping Sauce

45 ml (3 tbsp) soy sauce

10 ml (2 tsp) rice vinegar

2 ml (1/2 tsp) sesame oil

2 ml (1/2 tsp) grated fresh ginger

1 ml (1/4 tsp) garlic-chili paste or Sriracha

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

 

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and ginger. Add the garlic-chili paste, then whisk again and taste. If you want a bit more heat, add more chili paste. Extra sauce can be kept in a covered container in the refrigerator for a week.

 

Waffled Mexican Migas

4 large eggs

1 small tomato, diced (about 125 ml or 1/2 cup)

125 ml (1/2 cup) diced onion

125 ml (1/2 cup) shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

1 small jalape±o pepper, seeded and minced

2 soft corn tortillas, cut or torn into about 1-cm (1/2-inch) pieces

1 ml (1/4 tsp) salt

1 ml (1/4 tsp) freshly ground black pepper

Non-stick cooking spray

 

Preheat the waffle iron (Belgian or standard) on medium.

In a medium-size bowl, beat the eggs. Add the rest of the ingredients except the cooking spray and stir vigorously to combine.

Coat both sides of the waffle iron grid with non-stick spray. Ladle some of the mixture onto each section of the waffle iron. Some ingredients may settle to the bottom of the bowl, reach to the bottom to get a good mixture.

Close the lid and cook until the eggs are no longer runny, 2 minutes.

Remove the migas from the waffle iron with an offset spatula or a pair of heat-resistant silicon spatulas, and serve.

Serves 2.