(a nocturne born in Harlem)
Theme song by Esquivel “Harlem Nocturne” from Cabaret Manana
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Theme song by The Viscounts “Harlem Nocturne” from Harlem Nocturne
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Harlem Nocturne is the soundtrack to a dark late-night street in NYC. Steam wafts out of manholes. Pouring rain drips off of rickety fire escapes. Trench-coated detectives & sultry femme fatales emerge from the shadows. It’s the essence of film noir distilled into a single song. Its sleazy cinematic vibe is likely why it has so many cover versions. When it came time to find a theme for this dish, I couldn’t choose just one. I decided the two featured here best represent what I love about this song. Esquivel filters the noir through a Tim Burton-esque lens, turning it into the soundtrack to a surreal cartoon. The Vicounts stay truer to the Earle Hagen original while upping the strip club sleaze factor. Absolutely banger covers for an already iconic tune.
This is a hot dog over version of a chopped cheese. For those who don’t know, chopped cheese is an iconic NYC sandwich made with seasoned ground beef, onions, and melted cheese chopped together on a flat-top grill, then served on a hero or roll with lettuce, tomato, and condiments & originated at the Hajji’s (aka The Blue Sky deli) in East Harlem. My cover version adds ground hot dog to the ground beef because more hot dog is good hot dog.
HARLEM NOCTURNE
Hot dog, ground beef & ground hot dog, Old Bay, onions, candied jalapeño, American cheese, shredduce, tomato, mayo, mustard, hot sauce
Makes 2 dogs
2 hot dogs
1/3 lb ground beef
2 hot dogs, minced fine
3 slices American cheese
Old Bay seasoning
1/2 onion, diced
Pickled jalapeno
Diced tomato
Shredded lettuce
Yellow mustard
Mayo
Hot sauce
2 buns
Place a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add the two non-minced hot dogs to the skillet. Cook until lightly charred. Move hot dogs to the edge of the pan to stay warm.
Combine the minced hot dogs & ground beef & form a patty. Place the patty in the skillet & smash with a spatula & season with a generous amount of Old Bay. Cook until a crust forms. Scrape up the crust, flip the patty & press again. Sprinkle more Old Bay. Toss the onions in the skillet & let them caramelize. Chop the patty with a spatula, breaking it into crusty pieces & mix with the onions. Add the cheese. Squirt a bit of water into the skillet & cover to melt the cheese.
Spread mustard & mayo inside the buns. Place a dog in each bun. Divide the chopped cheese between the dogs. Top with hot sauce, lettuce, tomato, & jalapeño.