It’s the obvious that I miss sometimes. And oh! the winding pathways I take to discover the obvious. Breakfast this morning was a life-giving, flavor-abundant discovery of this. From a base of richly yolk-yellowed egg scrambles a spinach feta pile is strewn colorfully across. This combination was food magic. I ate, savoring each forkful, exclaiming to my husband across the table. I wanted to eat more just to experience the intensity of flavors, but truly my belly was satisfied. I will return to this excellent and simple combination again, especially in the autumn and spring when the spinach is thriving and we can eat it when young, mild, and tender. Or, for a recipe like this, we can utterly relish the iron-rich mature leaves that are so abundant in vigorous flavor.
The “winding pathways” came about because my husband is at home with me again. His work has taken him to China/Germany about 6+ times per year for the last couple of years. Each time he leaves, my achy half-broken heart travels with him. Each time he returns, the wealth of our love swiftly fills up all the emptiness along with a renewed sense gratefulness. I am inspired to cook for his health and pleasure.
Knowing we have loads of pastured eggs, I began with a basic scramble, using a Cook’s Illustrated tip of adding a few extra yolks for increased tenderness and luxury. I like to include vegetables wherever I can, including at our breakfast table, so that’s where the spinach came in. And spinach, like most vegetables, can be lifted to delectable heights when cheese and butter are added. Naturally, feta comes to mind. Deliberating a bit, I imagined folding the sautéed spinach and cheese into barely set eggs, but I demurred, also imagining my husband dutifully eating a small share. For some reason, omelets and such similarities don’t excite him the way they delight me. So I settled on doing the spinach as a topping, as my husband could then choose to add as much or as little of the savory spinach as he wished. His first bite was also a revelation, between the two of us, (our children happily ate just chocolate chip pancakes) we polished of every cheese-studded scrap of greenery. I wanted to share, so here goes…
- 6 eggs
- 2-3 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons cream, or half n half
- Salt
- 8 cups packed spinach leaves or
- 4 oz. feta cheese
- Pepper
- 4 Tbs. butter, divided
- Break eggs into a bowl, add yolks, cream, and lightly season with salt. Preheat a non-stick or well seasoned skillet on medium-high, add 2 Tbs. butter. Whisk eggs lightly with a fork and pour into skillet, you should hear the eggs sizzle a bit. Turn the heat down to low. Once the edges begin to set, using a spatula, fold the edges inward. Continue to gently stir, breaking up only the largest pieces of setting egg. When still quite moist, remove from the heat, the eggs will continue to cook in the heat of the pan.
- Rinse and spin dry spinach leaves, remove the main rib and stack leaves on a cutting board. Slice in 1-1.5'' strips. Heat 2 tbs. butter and add spinach, saute until wilted but still bright green.
- Break feta apart into coarse crumbles, add to cooked spinach, heat until the cheese begins to melt, season with pepper, stir and serve, piled deliciously atop the eggs.
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Anna lives Buffalo, NY surrounded by a cityscape of both blight and hope. She receives inspiration from the next-door urban farm and loves nothing more than to spend a lazy summer Saturday perusing the lush stalls of a farmers market with her two lively children and husband. Cream and butter are two of her most adored ingredients.
She is devoted to sustainable food sourcing and to encouraging others to find the links between simple, beautiful food and thriving health. Some of her major influences include Alice Waters, Sally Fallon, and the More-With-Less cookbooks. She enjoys challenging herself with serving large gatherings, living with intentional restraint, and engaging her children in the creative world of food. She values relationships and finds joy in bringing people together around the table. You can find her blogging at eastsidepicurean.com
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Love this! I am always looking for different ways to eat eggs. I think I might try it with goats milk cheese. Thank you for the recipe!
-Erin