Recipe: Goat Cheese Scramble
An article this summer in the New York Times Magazine by Michael Pollan, author of Omnivore’s Dilemma, laments how Americans no longer cook. In the piece, entitled “Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch,” he details the popularity of programs on the Food Network, spectator cooking shows such as Top Chef, and the memoirs of amateur chefs like Julie & Julia. But while food porn has become a staple of U.S. households, he writes, home cooking has been shelved. He’s right—at least partially. Cooking to sustain oneself or one’s family has declined. After working for 10-plus hours a day, I’m likely to eat hummus and tortillas for dinner or leftovers that require minimal reheating. It’s hardly what one would call high-end cuisine.
What Pollan doesn’t acknowledge, though, is that cooking as a social endeavor has never been higher. Among my friends, dinner parties are a key source of entertainment. We meticulous prepare menus weeks in advance, shop for the freshest ingredients at four different locales, and spend hours cooking the day of the soiree. One of my friends even had pre-printed menus detailing each course of the meal while another sketched hers out on a blackboard.
That said, when I have the time, I do like to prepare a nice meal for myself, sit down with a glass of wine, and savor each bite. Granted, it’s a rare event in my life.
There’s a great book, “Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant,” that reflects on such personal moments in eating. It’s a collection of short stories by authors like Ann Pachett and food journalists, including Laura Calder. The title comes from an excerpt in a Laurie Colwin novel, and the book also includes recipes. It still ranks among my top foodie tomes, along with anything by Ruth Reichl.
When I’m home alone (and have the time), I prepare one of the following comfort foods:
My Grandmother’s Chicken Soup (recipe forthcoming)
Pot Roast
Macaroni & Cheese
Lately, I’ve been eating scrambled eggs with goat cheese, a simple recipe that like many of mine has less than five ingredients. The joy of this egg dish is that it can be prepared in less than 15 minutes and enjoyed with a Sancerre. Lately, it’s been a great way to unwind after work. I’ve also been known to eat them in the morning before work. Okay, I admit it: I’ve been known to eat eggs with goat cheese three to four times a week. What can I say, I’m a creature of habit and comfort.
Goat Cheese Scramble
3 farm fresh eggs
1/5 red onion, diced
¼ red pepper, diced
2 slices of ham, diced
2 to 3 oz. of goat cheese (or more if you’re like me an enjoy obscene amounts of cheese)
Sauté red onions in butter until translucent. Add peppers and ham. In a bowl, scramble together eggs, 3 tbs. of water, salt, and pepper. When onion, peppers, and ham have been sautéed together for a few minutes, add eggs. Scramble until preferred consistency. I like my on the softer side.
In a wide shallow bowl (key serving dish for comfort food,) crumble half of the goat cheese at the bottom. Add eggs. Crumble remaining goat cheese on the top. The heat of the eggs will make the goat cheese all nice and creamy.
Eat with a chilled glass of Sancerre.
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