Scrumptious Scramble: Weekend, Ho!

(Hey folks – today at Serious Eats, my column’s on Chicken Paprikash from Cooking Light. S’good stuff and a solid weekday dinner. Witness, if you get the chance.)

In our house (okay, apartment), weekend mornings are sacred. Since our roommates are usually out, they’re the few times The Boyfriend and I can sit uninterrupted (except for the $%&^# dog) and talk about whatever for an hour. The conversation can and does extend to politics, food, our parents, imaginary vacation plans, or whatever. Saturday, we talked about Dungeons & Dragons and farting. Yesterday, it was string theory and whether or not the universe actually has an edge.

Since the time is so valuable, we usually prep a big spread to go along with it – pancakes, bacon, eggs, fruit, really good coffee from here – the works. It’s cheaper and more personal than going out to brunch, and you don’t run into nearly as many hipsters. (P.S. If you live in Brooklyn, but aren’t from here, and don’t think you’re a hipster … you’re definitely a hipster. Nice face, hipster.)

We tend to fall back on omelets, French toast, and whatever else doesn’t need milk (because I forgot it again), but lately, I’ve been attempting to change things up a bit. Potato and Chorizo Frittata is a recent example, as is Sweet Crespelles. This weekend, it was Ellie Krieger’s Scrumptious Scramble, the idea of which I bogarted from Serious Eats.

I like Ellie muchly, because A) her food philosophy closely mirrors my own, and B) I covet her sweater collection. She’s all about real food in moderate doses. I’ve never seen her resort to diet products, and she speaks like a normal human being instead of a McKenzie brother filled with helium.

Oh, and her food’s good, too. This particular scrambled egg dish is amped up with tomato, red onion, and dill. Seriously, dill. The stuff you use to make pickles. As it turns out, dill is delicious with eggs, too, and it’s an unexpected respite from regular ol’ breakfast flavors.

So, next time you have a weekend morning, try this dish. It’s perfect for when you just want to sit and talk about the canon or Cormac McCarthy and/or whether flowers have butts.

Scrumptious Scramble
Serves 4
Adapted from Ellie Krieger

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 medium ripe tomato, cored, seeded, and diced (about 1 cup)
3 large eggs
5 large egg whites
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1) Heat olive oi over medium heat in a medium pan, preferably nonstick. Add onion. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring maybe twice. Add tomato. Cook 1 minute. Remove mixture to a nearby bowl. Turn heat down to medium-low.

2) Combine eggs and egg whites in a medium bowl. Whisk together.

3) Pour eggs into pan. Scramble a few minutes, until eggs are just about done. Drain collected water from tomato bowl. Pour tomatoes and onions into pan. Stir gently to combine. Add dill. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir once or twice. Serve. 

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
101 calories, 4.8 g fat, $0.73

Calculations
1 teaspoon olive oil: 39 calories, 4.5 g fat, $0.11
1/2 cup diced red onion: 34 calories, 0.1 g fat, $0.28
1 medium ripe tomato, cored, seeded, and diced (about 1 cup): 22 calories, 0.2 g fat, $0.75
3 large eggs: 221 calories, 13.9 g fat, $0.55
5 large egg whites: 86 calories, 0.3 g fat, $0.91
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill: negligible calories and fat, $0.30
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
TOTAL: 402 calories, 19 g fat, $2.92
PER SERVING (TOTAL/4): 101 calories, 4.8 g fat, $0.73