At odd moments that old advertising slogan “the incredible, edible egg” pops into my mind. In addition to being a pleasing bit of wordplay, it represents truth in advertising. Honored in song and story, its distinctive beauty recorded by countless artists and photographers, the egg is enjoyed everywhere and in many guises.
The egg repertoire is too vast to do anything more than nibble at it in this limited space. A few of my personal favorites are the cheese souffle, egg salad, stuffed eggs and soft-scrambled eggs. A mouth-watering variation on the latter is eggs scrambled with peppers. The Italians prepare this dish with their lovely green frying peppers and may add sausage to the mixture. I have two versions to share, one with sausage and one without. In the first, from John Thorne’s delightful food newsletter, “Simple Cooking,” the mixture becomes the filling for a hero-sized sandwich. In the second, from my kitchen, sausage, corn and onion are added to the eggs and peppers.
JOHN THORNE’S PEPPER AND EGG SANDWICH
One sandwich
The roll:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon softened butter
1/4 teaspoon finely minced garlic
2 tablespoons good grating cheese, such as grana
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 8-inch Italian sandwich roll
The filling:
1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 each red and green bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 eggs, gently beaten
Grind of black pepper and salt to taste
1. For the roll, in a mixing bowl, combine the olive oil, butter, garlic and grated cheese. Mix thoroughly as you sprinkle in the ground red pepper. Slice the Italian sandwich roll open at the top, cutting from stem to stern. Open it up as wide as possible without splitting the roll apart. Generously coat the exposed surfaces with the garlic-cheese spread.
2. For the filling, heat the olive oil in a 9-inch nonstick skillet over a medium-high flame. Add the onion and bell pepper slices and saute until they are tender and show a touch of char.
3. Turn the flame under the skillet down to medium-low. Pause to slip the dressed sandwich roll under a preheated broiler or into a toaster oven and leave it there to toast until the edges are nicely browned and the garlic-cheese spread is bubbling hot. (Don’t let this burn.)
4. Pour the beaten eggs over the onion and pepper mixture, tipping the pan to let the eggs spread all through it. Cook until the eggs have set, tilting the pan and lifting the edge of the eggs with a spatula to allow any remaining liquid to come in contact with the pan’s surface. Season with salt and pepper. Then take the toasted roll, spoon the pepper and eggs over it, and close it up. Serve at once.
–From “Simple Cooking,” a food newsletter
MY EGG, SAUSAGE AND VEGETABLE SCRAMBLE
Two servings
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 pound hot (or mild) Italian sausage, broken into chunks; or chopped ham
1/4 cup white wine or water
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup corn kernels, preferably cut from the cob with a sharp knife
1/3 cup grated onion
1/3 cup grated green bell pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of sugar
4 eggs
3 or 4 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1. Heat oil in a skillet, preferably cast-iron, with the sausage. Cook and stir until no raw surfaces remain. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Deglaze the pan with wine or water, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer until liquid evaporates.
2. Add butter, corn, onion and green pepper. Saute until vegetables are soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and sugar. Return the sausage to the pan.
3. In a bowl, beat the eggs with 2 tablespoons of water. Pour over the mixture in the pan and stir over medium heat until the eggs are scrambled, 3 to 4 minutes. Taste, adjust seasoning and portion onto two warm plates. Garnish with cherry tomato halves and serve with toast or English muffins.
