Of all the Industrial Revolution-era inventions that New Yorkers rely on for their daily existence — including the telephone, internal-combustion engine and electricity — there is perhaps none more vital for day-to-day survival in NYC than the bacon, egg and cheese.
Typically fused together in minutes on a flat-top grill at a deli or bodega and delivered on a roll or bagel after being ordered in a single multisyllabic word, the bacon, egg and cheese traces its roots back to a sandwich British street vendors began selling in the 1800s to factory workers who wanted a breakfast nosh before a long shift. Named for the soft roll it was delivered on, the “bap” sandwich contained eggs and meat filling and was perfect for on-the-go eating. When factories arrived across the pond, the bap did too — and someone was smart enough to add cheese.
The modern-day descendant of Britain’s bap, New York’s BEC is a city staple on the same ubiquity level as good pizza, bad breath and soul-crushing subway delays. Lebanese chef Edy Massih, the owner of Edy’s Grocer in Brooklyn and author of the new cookbook Keep It Zesty, noticed the prevalence of BECs after immigrating from Beirut to Kings County.
“When you move to New York, it’s go, go, go. I wasn’t used to that, but I learned the way to stay fueled was to grab a cold brew and bacon, egg and cheese in the morning,” Massih tells InsideHook. “You can walk into any bodega in Brooklyn and grab yourself a delicious BEC and it’s also a cheap way to get a meal in. There was also something fun about trying out different bacon, egg and cheeses at different bodegas and then picking your favorite that you’d go to every day.”
In some ways, settling into a new breakfast routine abroad provided Massih with a familiar taste of home. “In Lebanon, I would go to my local bakery every morning and grab myself a man’oushe, which is a breakfast flatbread. That’s what we eat in the morning,” he says. “I was here on my own, so finding my BEC bodega was like finding a pathway to community and familiarity. It was the same when we opened Edy’s Grocer in August of 2020. We were opening when everywhere was closing and we had people coming in all the time who found us as a new family away from their family.”
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“I came up with this recipe in ’20 when I was stuck at home like everybody else and wanted to make myself a good breakfast,” Massih says. “I made an egg mixture with hashweh, which is ground beef with onion in Middle Eastern spices and pine nuts. I wanted to make it for New Yorkers when I opened up the grocer, so I added the bacon and cheese and finished it with everything seasoning. It’s a BEC in a pocket for a busy New Yorker.”
Though empanadas aren’t Lebanese, they are similar to hashweh-stuffed meat pies Massih grew up eating called sambouseks. Instead of making and cutting out dough as you’d have to do with sambouseks, Massih was able to lighten his workload a bit by using empanada discs from NYC’s freezer aisles for his BEC breakfast dish.
“When you bite into it, the empanada disc has a nice crispness and crunch to it,” Massih says. “With that crunch, there’s also seasoning and seeds that give it a really nice bite. The inside of it is also jam-packed with cheese, eggs and bacon. It’s salty and savory and it’s fluffy and flaky. It is the best of both worlds.”
Here’s Massih’s recipe so you can welcome his BEC into yours.
BEC Everything Empanadas
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins
Servings: 12 empanadas
Ingredients
- For the empanadas
- 12 (5-inch) empanada discs, thawed
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed
- 1/3 cup everything bagel seasoning
- For the filling
- 8 oz. thick-cut bacon
- 10 large eggs
- 1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
- 1/2 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp. reserved bacon fat (or vegetable oil)
- 8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Make the filling: Arrange the bacon on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes, until very crispy. Keep the oven on (you’ll be using it later to bake the empanadas!), and remove the bacon to a plate to cool. Pour off the bacon fat and reserve 2 tablespoons. Add the eggs, yogurt and pepper to a large bowl and whisk until fully combined.
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Add the reserved bacon fat to a medium sauté pan over medium heat. When the fat is shimmering, pour in the egg mixture. Use a rubber spatula to stir and scrape the sides of the pan, working it into a soft scramble, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the eggs to a large bowl and add the cheese. Crumble in the bacon and fold everything together. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
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Line another rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Make the empanadas: Arrange the empanada discs on the baking sheet. Scoop 2 tablespoons of cooled filling onto one side of the disc, then fold over to close. Use a fork to crimp and seal the edges shut. Brush the top of the empanada with vegetable oil and sprinkle with everything seasoning.
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Repeat with the remaining discs, filling, oil and seasoning. (Any leftover filling makes a great snack!) Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden brown and flaky. Serve hot.
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