Scallion and Guanciale Waffles
Love scallion pancakes? Obsessed with waffles? Yep, we did it. We combined the two and paired them with a dipping sauce you can’t say no to. Scallion pancakes are not difficult, but they can be, shall we say, a bit involved. We came up with a fun and quick — let’s just call it genius — recipe with a guanciale bonus. (Guanciale makes everything better. It’s a proven fact.) We know you don’t use your waffle maker enough. You know you don’t use your waffle maker enough. Here’s a great reason to break it out.
Directions
For the dipping sauce
Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, scallions, sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, ginger, garlic, and chile, if using, together in a small bowl.
For the waffles
Sweat the Guanciale in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until a lot of fat has rendered out and the guanciale is beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer the Guanciale to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve 3 tablespoons of the fat. If you get less than 3 tablespoons, add olive oil to the drippings to yield 3 tablespoons total. Set aside to let cool.
Preheat the waffle maker to the hottest setting. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place a foil-lined baking sheet fitted with a wire rack in the oven.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks, milk, reserved guanciale fat, olive, and sesame oils together until smooth. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until just combined but still lumpy. Stir in the guanciale and scallions. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and gently fold into the batter.
Lightly brush the waffle maker with oil, if necessary for your machine, and spoon about 2 cups of batter into grids (about 1/2 cup batter into each quarter). Close the lid and bake according to waffle-maker manufacturer’s instructions until waffles are golden and crisp, about 7 minutes. Transfer waffles to baking sheet in the oven. Continue to make waffles until batter is used up. Serve with the dipping sauce.
