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Pea Greens With Carrots And Scrambled Eggs
This is exactly why I encourage you all to go to the farmers market. Last weekend I picked up these beautiful pea greens and carrots from Capay Organics and turned them into this magnificent Sunday brunch with scrambled eggs.
I would not necessarily have chosen to put carrots in this mix, but I had them in my fridge and they were so deliciously sweet I couldn’t resist. Besides, having peas and carrots together gave the whole dish a quaint, Forrest Gump-like feel that made me all cozy on this rainy weekend.
If you do not have pea greens, you can easily substitute spinach or any other green. Since the greens are the bulk of this dish, I would recommend you use the bunch, big-leafed spinach rather than bagged baby spinach to get the closest approximation. If you choose a thicker green like chard or kale, you will need to increase the cooking time for the greens. See these recipes for details: chard, kale.
Pea Greens With Carrots And Scrambled Eggs
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch of pea greens or spinach
- 2 sweet, fresh carrots
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 baby leek
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp water
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Crack 2 eggs in a large bowl and add 1 tbsp cool water (tap okay). Use a whisk or fork to beat the eggs until they are frothy. Don’t be lazy, do a good job!
Rinse your greens carefully, making sure no loose dirt is hidden between the leaves. Coarsely chop the leaves and remove the thickest parts of the stems. In my experience, the tendril part of the peas were quite woody, even though they looked thin and delicate. You probably want to remove the larger ones of these as well. If there are flowers in your pea greens, you can keep them to add color to the dish.
Mince your garlic. Clean your leek and cut it into 0.5 inch pieces.
Peel your carrots and slice them into angled 0.25 inch slices. The angled cut increases the surface area for cooking.
Heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil in large skillet until it swirls easily in the pan. Add carrots and cook 2 minutes, turning occasionally. Add pea greens, sprinkle on sea salt and turn. Allow greens to cook and wilt for about 3 minutes until bright green, stirring occasionally.
Clear a space in the center of the pan and add garlic in single layer. Allow garlic to cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then stir in with the greens. Allow vegetables to cook another 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.
While vegetables are cooking, begin heating another pan on medium-high heat. When the vegetables are finished cooking, add 2-3 tbsp olive oil to the pan and swirl immediately. Add leeks and cook them until they begin to become translucent and just start to brown, about 90 seconds.
Distribute leeks evenly throughout the pan and gently pour eggs on top of them. Sprinkle sea salt and freshly ground pepper onto the eggs. After the eggs have sat in the pan 20-30 seconds, use an egg turner to slowly scrape the eggs away from the sides of the pan, tracing a circle around the edge (where it cooks faster) then into the center. Be sure that no part of the eggs are in contact with the pan for too long. You do not want the eggs to brown at all.
Be patient and move your hand slowly, but do not stop pushing around the eggs until they begin piling onto one side of the pan. Turn off heat immediately when this happens. The eggs will still be runny, but will continue cooking while the heat is off.
Even with heat off, do not allow one part of the eggs to stay in contact with the pan for too long. Move them to a plate as soon as possible.
Transfer vegetables to the plate and serve with a warmed chunk of baguette.
If you would like this to serve 2 instead of 1 person, increase the number of eggs to 4 or 5 and maybe add one more carrot. There will be enough greens to go around.
Have you ever cooked pea greens?
No, I’ve never had or cooked pea greens. But visions of the farmer’s market are now dancing in my head. Ours won’t be open for months!
Wow, great egg recipe! I’ve never really read anything so meticulous, normally people just crack the eggs in and go for it- I can’t wait to try though!
@MichelleI will address the lack of farmers markets in a future blog posts. Hang in there!1—–@AnonThank you for noticing. To be honest, I have been pwning eggs recently. Best. eggs. ever. Seriously. Get the freshest ones you can get your hands on, that helps too.
Eating pea greens is new to me! This looks like a very easy to make and healthy meal. ~thanks~
I tried your egg technique tonight, and it was AWESOME!!!! I wish I could get my paws onto some of those special farmers-market-fresh eggs you’re always braggin’ about! I don’t think I’ve even ever seen the pea greens, wouldn’t mind trying those either….
I’ve never heard of pea greens. What are they? pea pods? leaves off a pea vine?
The peas are so green, looks really fresh. I have not seen such peas before. Where did you manage to get all that so fresh and colourful?
this was probably the most well-written and meticulous recipe for cooking eggs and greens that i’ve ever read. love it! I’m a firm believer that it’s in the details of quality and preparation that the most simple foods really shine! it’s a pet-peeve of mine, too, when the egg browns… mostly aesthetic, but also is an obvious indication that the cook wasn’t giving the egg pan enough care and attention :)wish i lived in the city just to get hold of some of those awesome eggs you’ve mentioned. nothin beats a good egg!
@MikeAwesome! Glad everyone is liking the egg recipe. I got really excited when I discovered the technique (thank you Cook’s Illustrated), and it is amazing!!—–@MBYes, the pea greens are the stems and leaves of a pea plant. I photographed the ones I cooked at the market last weekend. Mine had some flowers in it too. Pretty tasty, but at the end of the day they are just another green.—–@Make Money OnlineAt the farmers market. See the link above.—–@honest ocelotYay, thanks! It is odd to think it is easier to get good eggs in a city, huh? If you are in the Bay Area, though. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding good eggs at most farmers markets. Keep your eyes out for Soul Food eggs.
I just made eggs using your technique, but browned/grilled some diced fennel in the pan before adding the whipped eggs. They were delightful, my daughter loved them, and I will call them “Eggs Anise!!!!”
Nice detail. Could you explain why the emphasis on not letting the eggs touch the pan for too long, and why not browning them??? I get really grossed out by moist eggies – I could eat them not brown, but most certainly not moist. Love to her the reasoning you have … Thanks!!
I just don’t like when scrambled eggs get brown, it reminds me of rubber. If you like it, go nuts!