Two Impromptu Eggy Things

 

March 13, 2016

 

The First Eggy Thing

 

So there I was going home to an almost-empty refrigerator. Because we were leaving town in two days, I had been assiduously emptying the fridge: no leftovers, no fresh veggies that needed to be used up. So WHAT could I fix for dinner? How can the Queen of Leftovers function if there are none?

We had eggs. And we had the remains of a bunch of parsley plus half a handful of arugula. This would have to be supper!

I beat four eggs (for two of us), then chopped and added all the parsley and arugula plus salt and pepper. Filmed a skillet with olive oil. Added the egg mixture in quarter-cup batches, making a series (five in all) of little egg pancakes: quick cooking, first on one side, then the other. I let them cool (because they are good at room temperature) while I drank a glass of herby white Vermouth. And then I toasted some bread and laid an egg pancake (laid an egg—hah!) on each slice of toast. Finger food while we watched an old George Gently police procedural.

Other ways to use this idea: I could have added two tablespoons of water to the eggs-and-herbs, which would have made a thinner little omelette, one that could be rolled around—what? Baby shrimp? Cooked veggies like onions or green beans or artichoke hearts. Or tiny fried croutons? But I was looking (as usual) for quick and easy. My baby omelette/pancakes were, at a quarter of an inch thick, too thick to roll. But they were good.

 

The Second Eggy Thing

 

Here's a different kind of egg idea. It is "impromptu" only if you have leftover biscuit dough waiting in the wings (or in the refrigerator). Do you remember that we talked about biscuit dough a couple of weeks ago? (Scroll down to it if you've forgotten.) Since I am cooking for only two these days, a full recipe of biscuit dough (i.e., based on two cups of flour) is twice what we need. So I generally bake up half of the dough and refrigerate the rest (well wrapped) for another day. Here's an egg-centered idea for using that dough.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the leftover dough into four pieces. On a floured board, roll out each piece to about a quarter of an inch thickness, keeping it to a more-or-less oblong shape, roughly four by eight inches. Lay this thin piece of dough in a mold--a large muffin tin or a tart pan*-- letting half the dough lie in the mold while the other half trails off to the side. Now break an egg into the dough in the mold, season it with salt and pepper**, and fold the other half of the dough over the top, crimping the edges to seal. You can brush the top now with a bit of milk or melted butter or beaten egg, any of which will give a glossier look to the finished egg-and-biscuit-sandwich. But if you are in a rush, don't bother. It will be perfectly edible without the gloss.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the biscuit has become brown and crispy. Use a small spatula to unmold the sandwich. The hidden egg will surprise everyone. (Isn't the picture cute?)

*I have some little 4x4 white ceramic tart pans that are a bit over half an inch deep. They were perfect for this. A regular-sized muffin tin will be too small to hold the dough AND the egg, and the egg will spill out, making a mess before you even get it into the oven. If you have no suitable pan, you can put the rolled-out dough onto a cookie sheet, shove the edges up, making a lip to keep the egg white from escaping. Break the egg onto half of the dough then quickly fold the other half over and seal the edges. But a tart pan is easier.

**Add any other seasoning you like: Sriracha, grated cheese, powdered chipolte chiles, a bit of grated onion.