If you are making a breakfast of eggs, it seems sensible to get some greens into it if possible, seeing that eggs are generally a savory dish and you won't be dealing with sweet stuff like pancakes and waffles. So I came across a pretty breakfast dish on the AOL Food page, although I have simplified it a bit.
The recipe originally included mustard seeds, which I don't have in my kitchen. I don't know how many people buy mustard seeds--if you do, keep them refrigerated so they don't lose their flavor. But you can make this bright dish in the morning anyway, so make some coffee and toast and you will have a perky dish.
I like spinach very much myself, but you also can't help noticing how it has proliferated in the supermarkets. Organic baby spinach is almost always on display at my neighborhood Fry's Supermarket down on Tucson's southwest side, and of course we usually do cook spinach. The baby greens will make it nicer, I think.
You can cook up most salad greens, other than lettuce, but since the heat really does major damage to the enzymes in fresh leaves, I would not do it. I even prefer to eat the spinach fresh, but for this dish I would take the time to cut off long stems and cook it up.
If you have some nice crusty artisan bread, by all means serve it with this dish and give it a Continental flair, with some cold unsalted butter on the side. That and coffee, and you are set!
I renamed this adapted dish for Sunnyside, the Tucson school district in which I live.
SUNNYSIDE BREAKFAST EGGS WITH SPINACH
Ingredients:
1/2 cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless country-style bread
5 teaspoons Dijon mustard, divided
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 9-ounce package fresh spinach leaves
3 tablespoons half and half
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 large eggs
Fresh thyme sprigs (for garnish)
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Toss bread crumbs with 2 teaspoons of the Dijon mustard and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a small bowl until everything is coated. Lay the crumbs out on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake them until they are golden and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes, stirring once.
About that time your breadcrumbs will be ready, so remove them from the oven to avoid burning them in the oil. Turn the oven off at this point.
Add some water to a deep large nonstick skillet to cover the bottom. Add the spinach, tossing over high heat until it has wilted, approximately 2 minutes. Transfer the spinach to a sieve and drain out the liquid. Wipe out the skillet and set it aside.
Put the spinach in a medium saucepan with 3 teaspoons of the Dijon mustard, the half and half, and the chopped thyme. Stir over medium heat until it is hot, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper and remove from the heat.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in reserved skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the eggs until the whites are cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.
Divide the spinach between 2 plates, spreading it out as a base for the eggs. Top with the eggs, crumbs, and thyme sprigs.
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