Farmers’ Market Scrambled Eggs

I was scarred as a child by IHOP breakfasts. The memory of a rubbery glob of yellow eggs sticking to my fork before I closed my eyes and braced for the sodium overload. This dreadful memory was enough to steer me clear of scrambled eggs for about 20 years, until I discovered the ingenious egg dishes at Tini restaurant in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The owner, Monica, uses local eggs and lightly beats her eggs with treats like smoked salmon, fresh goat cheese, roasted tomatoes and fragrant herbs. Her food was rich, and maybe too buttery, but Tini was the only place I wanted to go after running the 13 miles of the Brooklyn half marathon.

In Berkeley, I have yet to eat a plate of scrambled eggs out, but after bringing home a bag full of spring vegetables from the market, I thought of Tini and Monica’s eggs. A few tricks I learned about scrambled eggs–like don’t beat them for too long and let them set for at least a minute in the pan before stirring– have transformed my childhood image of scrambled eggs to something I can actually look forward to eating. I also make my eggs with olive oil instead of butter, and if you use good olive oil, the flavor gives your eggs something that butter never can. Eggs can be, and should be, made with olive oil no matter which style you cook them. The delicate flavor of fresh eggs is as good a use for your expensive olive oil as homemade mozzarella.

I know some people add water or milk to their scrambled eggs before cooking them, but I don’t think that’s necessary. In fact, if you use good quality eggs, all that really does is water them down. If you use fresh tomatoes instead of roasted, seed them first to get rid of the excess moisture. You can pretty much use any fresh vegetable you want in this dish, as long as it doesn’t add too much liquid to the pan.

First, the eggs:
Crack the eggs into a large bowl, add sea salt and ground pepper, and whisk until the yolks just come apart and the mixture is all the same color. Set aside.

Next, the vegetables:
Heat up a seasoned cast iron skillet, and add about a tablespoon of olive oil. When hot, add the garlic and the spring onions. Stir around for one minute, and add the asparagus. Cook for another two minutes, then add the tomatoes. After an additional two minutes, add the beaten eggs to the pan. Now don’t touch the pan for about one and half minutes, until the eggs just start to set. After this, stir the eggs a bit with a wooden spoon, letting the parts of egg that are still liquid hit the hot pan. Add the shredded cheese, and stir some more, until the eggs are just firm. Drizzle some olive oil on top before serving.

Meanwhile, the bread:
If you have a grill pan, this is a great use for it. Slice the bread in half, and brush on a mixture of the melted butter and some olive oil. Cook on the grill pan cut side down, until nicely toasted. Keep the heat on medium–if you put it too high it’ll burn before the middle gets toasty.

Scoop up some the eggs with the bread, and enjoy! You’ll never be afraid of scrambled eggs again (just don’t expect this at IHOP).