I spent the last few days visiting my daughter Carson in Ontario, where she is an archaeology student at the University of Toronto. My son Mo and I stayed at the elegant Intercontinental Hotel on Bloor Street—the general manager is an old friend of mine who I met in Hungary years ago (on a boar hunt of all things). Anyway, the Intercontinental is kind of boutiquey, without the attitude. They have a good restaurant: I had a fantastic venison tenderloin with smoked potatoes and beech mushrooms with an Ontario cuvee that I am still thinking about, and the bar made a vodka Gibson for me that was perfect. Twice.
So Carson was carrying on about what she wanted me to cook for her when she got home, and it is so ironic, because the dish she is after is the same one I craved when I was away from home, and the same my dad craved when he was drafted into the army: eggs with vegetables.
Eggs with Vegetables--this one has chard in it.
Italians traditionally eat eggs at night, as part of a light dinner (the heavy meal of the day is lunch). This dish, with a salad afterward, is actually a summer staple in our house, although I’ve made variations with winter vegetables, too.
The recipe is totally simple: you sauté up a big skillet of peppers, onions, tomatoes, zucchini and basil (or in winter cabbage, broccoli di rape, Brussels sprouts and parsley — really, the combination is totally up to you and seasonal availability), until soft, then poach big farm eggs on top. Garnish with salt, black pepper, and grated parmesan cheese, and serve with lots of bread or warm tortillas — wonderful!
Carson will be getting home in another month, and I’m thinking I will make this dish with shallots, asparagus, morels (if I find any this year), and onion grass. Or ramps, artichokes, sliced baby potatoes, and mint. Or onions, spinach, dill and a garnish of feta cheese…anyway, you get the idea. The classic, though, is below.
Eggs and Vegetables
Serves 4
When you substitute other vegetables in this dish and don’t put in tomatoes, then you will need to compensate for the lack of moisture by adding about ½ cup of chicken stock to the vegetable sauté. Let the vegetables soften up and the onions begin to brown on the edges, and then add the stock. When the stock is almost evaporated but the vegetables are still very soft, add the eggs.
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 red peppers, seeded and sliced (2 cups)
2 medium sized onions, sliced (2 cups)
1 medium sized zucchini, sliced into rounds (2 cups)
2 big ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped (2 cups)
2 tablespoons fresh basil (or 1 dried)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 fresh eggs
Grated parmesan cheese for garnish
Heat the olive oil in a big skillet that has a cover over a medium heat. Add the peppers and onions and cook them for about 8 minutes, until the peppers are almost soft. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, and basil and cook for about 10 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft. Add salt to taste.
With the back of a spoon, create 8 indentations in the vegetables. Carefully crack the eggs in the indentations. Don’t let the eggs touch the bare bottom of the pan or the sides or they will burn or stick. Turn the heat down to medium low, cover the eggs and vegetables, and simmer them until the whites of the egg are set, about 6-8 minutes. Sprinkle salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese over the eggs, and serve immediately.
