People often ask me what we normally have for dinner.  We do eat some special meals at home as I experiment around in the kitchen in order to write this column, etc.  However, usually a day to day meal for us really is something simple.  Vegetables, salads, beans, lentils, roasted chicken, and simple egg dishes are all pretty common dinner components during the week.  I love making eggs and breakfast dishes in general for dinner.  It’s usually rather quick from a time perspective and if you purchase good quality eggs from the farmer’s market or the grocery store, they are also quite tasty.  Eggs are also one of the few foods that contain a complete protein.  As an extra bonus, even if you purchase pricier eggs at the farmer’s market, they are still one of the most economical sources of protein available given a dozen eggs will likely yield at least two meals for most and, even if your family is larger and a dozen only works for one meal, $6-$7 for protein is still less than almost any other meal you can make.  Further, there are literally tons of different things you can do with them.

I make eggs for dinner in a number of different ways.  Usually I will fry or poach them.  However, every once in a while, I will slowly cook the eggs, scrambling them as they slowly simmer until they are just a little underdone and still creamy.  Sometimes I leave them as is with just a touch of salt while other times I will add in cheese and other vegetables.  In this case, I added a bit of spring onion at the end of cooking and grated just a touch of parmesan reggiano over the top to finish.  I spooned the eggs over freshly wilted spinach from the farm.  If you wish, you could spoon the eggs and spinach over toasted or grilled bread.  We enjoyed this simple dinner just as pictured.  Recipe follows after the jump…

Ingredients:

3 Eggs per serving

1-2 Tablespoons whole milk per serving

1 Spring onion, sliced thinly

1 Bunch of spinach, wilted

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Black pepper (optional)

Instructions:

• Heat a fairly large skillet over low heat. While that is heating, gather the eggs and milk.
• In a large bowl, add the eggs and milk. Sprinkle in a touch of kosher salt and whisk until fully incorporated and uniform in color (if you prefer your eggs to have flecks of the whites showing, whisk until incorporated but not completely).
• Heat another skillet over medium heat. Clean the spinach and, when ready add the spinach to the pan (the water from the cleaning will help steam the spinach).  Using tongs, move the spinach around in the pan and continue until it is all just wilted.  Remove from the pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels.  Add a touch of kosher salt and a drizzle of olive oil to the spinach.  Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.  Set aside.
• Add the tablespoon of butter to the skillet over low heat. Allow the butter to melt and then add the egg mixture to the pan.  Swirl the eggs in the pan a bit and then leave alone for a minute.
• After a minute has passed, using a wooden spoon, carefully scrape the bottom of the skillet bringing up the curds that are slowly starting to form. If you notice any browning at all, lower the heat to a scant simmer.
• Continue cooking the eggs until they are almost cooked through but still a bit runny (about 10-15 minutes depending on how many eggs and the heat being used).
• At that point, place the thinly sliced spring onion in the pan and stir to incorporate. Remove the eggs from the pan and place in a large bowl.  Grate a bit of parmesan over the top of the eggs.  Taste to test seasoning and if needed, add more kosher salt to taste.  If using pepper, add it to the eggs.

To serve:  Place a bit of spinach on the bottom of a plate.  Spoon a serving of eggs over the top of the spinach.  Drizzle a touch of olive oil over the whole thing.  Serve while warm.