Yesterday I wrote from the University library here in town, and I noticed a lot of students wearing green knee high socks with flip flops and Dr. Suess-style oversized green top hats. Their expressions: Adrenalized. Which meant only one thing: St. Patties Day in a conservative college town!
There were plenty of street pizzas delivered on street corners and parked cars last night, I’m sure.
One merry-making dude came up to me and deposited a shamrock sticker on my wrist, which I took to mean he thought I was young enough to be a co-ed.
These Irish eyes were a’smiling, though I’m not Irish.
(Or he just felt sorry for me, all bundled up in my Patagonia fleece and woolen scarf, black nurse clogs weighing me down like foot coffins.)
So I got to thinking: Jake and I are abysmal when it comes to acknowledging these peripheral holidays — or most holidays, really — and I thought it would be nice to surprise him by making green eggs and ham filet mignon for dinner. I’ve got the filet mignon (I found it, frozen, lurking in the depths of my freezer — “waste not, want not,” my motto!), but I had some trouble figuring out how to make green eggs without resorting to green food coloring.
Until I came up with this clever little strategy:
Crack as many eggs as you feel like eating, separating the whites from the yolks.
Whisk the whites and a couple spoonfuls of pesto together until the whites turn appropriately green.
Gently pour the whites (turned green) into a preheated skillet and cook over low heat. You want to give the eggs as much of a fried egg appearance as possible, not an omelet. You may even want to use a round cookie cutter to hold the eggy shape.
After the whites have cooked through, remove them from the skillet. Set aside. Gently add the yolks one by one. I found that picking them up with my fingers was the way to go. Cook to your desired set. (Check out how healthy and robust these yolks are. THIS is why we raise chickens.)
I don’t care for runny yolks, so I cooked mine a minute longer than I cooked Jake’s.
Cut the heat. Transfer the “whites” to a plate and top with the cooked yolks.
Okay, so the whites could have been greener and I think I cooked the yolks too long, but…..it was exceptionally tasty! I’d put it right up there with a body shot of Jagermeister anyday.
All original content © 2012 by Jessie Knadler