When I was growing up in a small suburb on the North Shore of Boston, the dining choices in the immediate area were pretty slim. Of course that has all changed and now you can find everything from fine dining to Bertucci's. But back then when we wanted to venture out for breakfast or brunch, we could choose a greasy spoon style diner, or else a family owned river side cafe called Chippers in the neighboring town of Ipswich. The diner made my mother cringe, so we always ended up at Chippers, as did most other residents. Since the restaurant was located right on the edge of the Ipswich River, it had great views and an abundance of ducks that we kids would feed with bread scraps that they supplied while we endured the long wait for a table. Unfortunately Chippers was flooded and went out of business at least ten years ago. A few new places have opened up across the street where flooding is much less of an issue. Although the food is great, they just aren't Chippers. What I miss most about Chippers, besides all the family memories, is a dish they served called the Pesto Scramble. You might think that pesto and eggs sounds like a weird concoction, but trust me the flavors work really well together. Since the ingredients in the dish weren't a secret - just eggs, pesto, tomatoes and cheese - I have been whipping up my own pesto scrambles for a while now. This is a great quick meal idea for breakfast, brunch or lunch. I find that it is an excellent way to use up any leftover pesto you might have since you only need a tablespoon or so depending on how many people you are cooking for. You could switch red peppers or spinach for the tomatoes, or omit adding any vegetables at all. I think parmesan, provolone, asiago or cheddar are the best cheeses to experiment with. These eggs are great served on their own, on toast, with some hash brown potatoes or just a simple green salad.
Pesto Scramble Ingredients: 2-3 eggs 1/3 cup diced plum tomatoes, seeded, or quartered cherry or plum tomatoes with seeds 2 tablespoons shredded cheese of your choice 1 tablespoon pesto salt and pepper Instructions: Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk together. Add a little salt and pepper. Heat a small skillet over medium heat until hot, then spray liberally with cooking spray (you can also use butter or olive oil). Add the tomatoes and cook until the skins are just blistered, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and scramble as you normally would. When the eggs are set but still a little runny, add the cheese and pesto and stir to combine. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper before serving. Serves 1. |
Comments