Fried eggs with vegetable hash
Week 5 of being a part-time vegetarian during Lent begins. Mark says I am being a big cry baby over this vegetarian thing and I think he is right. My vegetarian days are Wednesday-Friday and every Saturday this Lenten season I have bounded out of bed to make bacon. Then Tuesday night, I spend way too much time thinking of my “last meal” as if I was being led to the gas chamber. Meanwhile, Mark has given up Scotch for Lent, which is a fairly big deal since the man loves his Scotch. And he hasn’t uttered a peep about how deprived he has become.
However, I think I am getting more creative in my vegetarian endeavors. I just want to say thank goodness for eggs. I practically want to go kiss a chicken. Fried eggs with vegetable hash is mighty tasty as it is, but if you weren’t a vegetarian and you wanted to sprinkle a little crispy bacon over the top I don’t think the world would end.
Fried eggs with vegetable hash
Serves 4
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium zucchini, peeled and coarsely chopped
½ red onion, diced
½ cup orange pepper, diced
1 10-ounce can Rotel diced tomatoes, drained
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 eggs
4 slices sturdy farmhouse-style bread
Butter
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a skillet and add the zucchini and onion. Saute until the vegetables are beginning to brown. Add the orange pepper and continue cooking until the pepper is soft. Add the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the oregano and lemon juice. Turn the heat to low and simmer for five minutes. Remove the vegetables from the skillet and reserve.
Wipe the skillet clean and add the vegetable oil over medium high heat. You will want enough oil in the pan so you can baste the eggs. Crack the eggs into the skillet and once the whites have set, tip the skillet slightly and baste the yolks with the oil until they begin to appear opaque. When the eggs are done, season with salt and pepper.
Toast the bread and butter it. To assemble, place the eggs over the toast and top it with the vegetable mixture.
I wish I lived next door to you.
Oh man.. Glad I didn’t have coffee in my mouth when I read this! Your kiss a chicken comment is hilarious!