It’s minus brutal outside, but we have a fridge full of breakfast makings. Most of the time breakfast usually depends on what’s in the fridge, but today I was a bit more prepared. I was thinking western omelet or frittata, something interesting, but I decided I want to see all the ingredients. So I created a plate that was separate layers. That is
especially nice when you have ingredients like Blue Oyster mushrooms from Gruger Family Fungi. Making this is a little more effort, because you have to prep and cook each of ingredients separately, before cooking the eggs. If this is more than you want to do first thing in the morning, do what I did and make it more of a brunch dish. This would also make a great lunch plate or breakfast for supper, as we’ve been known to do.
The ingredients are a quantity for breakfast for two, but I’m sure you can do the math to increase it. The joy with cooking like this is that if you don’t have all the ingredients, or you have preferences it’s easy to change it up. The one thing I always use my freshly dried basil leaves. Crumbled basil leaves have far more flavour, especially when you rub the leaf bits in your fingers, just before adding to the eggs. I can never get enough of that aroma.
Dice or slice each of the ingredients, as noted, so your presentation is uniform. If you are going to the effort to make a dish with multiple layers like this, presentation is everything. We eat with our eyes first, so why not make your meals feel like you are dining out and take a couple extra minutes to plate everything.
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs per person
- 6-8 oyster mushrooms
- 2 pinches dried basil
- 1/3 cup each, red, orange and yellow pepper
- 4 slices lean bacon
- 1/4 cup water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup finely grated cheese
Method:
- Chop the peppers into 1/4″ squares.
- Slice the oyster mushrooms into 1/2″ wide, long strips.
- Slice the bacon into 1/4″ strips.
- Saute the bacon until almost crisp. Drain on paper towel and set aside to keep warm. Leave the fat in the pan.
- Saute the pepper mixture until tender and set aside to keep warm.
- Saute the mushrooms in the bacon fat, adding the 1/4 cup of water to keep the mushrooms tender. Set aside to keep warm.
- Rub the basil leaf to refresh the aroma. Combine with the eggs, and a bit of water and beat.
- Reduce the heat and cook the eggs until just done.
- Plate the eggs, then sprinkle on the bacon. Spoon the pepper mixture around and on the eggs.
- Top with grated cheese, and if desired a sprinkle of salt and pepper.