fantasy breakfasts

This morning I am cat/housesitting for a dear friend who incidentally has my favorite kitchen. When she and her sweetheart leave town, I often have the good fortune of staying here with the cats. She's gone and left me my favorite coffee beans (Stumptown Hairbender) and a giant half and half! It's finally spring in Portland and the sunlight spilling in through all these windows is intoxicating. I just made one of my favorite breakfasts/anytime meals and it's so simple I think you should know about it. 

chard + eggs

one bunch of chard is enough for 2 people but I am happily one today, thus I used half a bunch, washed it and cut out the course center stalks with a sharp knife. (If you are especially resourceful you can dice these up and cook them longer but I didn't feel like it today). I bought my chard at the Hollywood neighborhood farmers' market, lovely with big shiny leaves that haven't traveled far. 

Okay, back to the recipe: I usually tear up the leaves if they are gigantic. Once this is done or even while you are cutting out and tearing, put a cast iron pan on medium-low heat and get it fairly hot, but not so hot that it will burn butter -which is a lower heat cooking fat. Once this pan is sufficiently hot, throw in about a teaspoon wallop of butter, let it melt and add the chard leaves. I have sometimes added chicken broth, but it's not really necessary as butter, salt and the water from the leaves do a good job steaming and flavoring the chard. If the leaves are big, fluffy and sticking out of the pan at first, it's fine, put a lid on everything then take the lid off and stir everything up after about a minute, soon enough everything will fit. Add a decent pinch of salt and then when the leaves are tasting done to you (it won't take very long) and looking smaller and bright green, put them on a plate or a bowl and set aside. 

Now fry or poach an egg, but be sure to leave the yolk runny. Plop the cooked egg on top of the chard. For the most enjoyment, I recommend eating chard and eggs with buttered toast (if you live in Portland, "Dave's Killer" seed breads make wonderful hearty toast and are really addictive).  

I'm sorry I don't have any pictures, it disappeared too fast. 

Now to clean the kitchen and draw the plants in the breakfast nook.