Soft Scrambled Eggs with Oyster Mushrooms

The mushroom lady returneth!  Yippee!   What gustatory thoughts surface when confronted with this glorious basket of mushrooms at the farmers market!  Cruelly deleted from the summer market because, alas, some of those mushrooms are imported (I haven’t noticed any local market members offering an array of local mushrooms).  How those fungi would complement all that prolific summer produce – but, the wisdom of the Takoma Park Farmers Market members prevails.  Anyway, soap box neatly tucked away, one box of this assortment of beauties enlivens our menu for 2 weeks at a time.

Scrambling eggs in our house requires that Gourmenator stands over the cook and makes sure the eggs have “big, wet, folds.”  Does he have an egg fetish or what?  Who likes dry scrambled eggs anyway?  Actually, besides the paucity of stirring required for moist results, the secret to this dish is in the proper preparation of the onions and mushrooms – IMHO.  Another requirement, at least in my kitchen, is the presence of a well-seasoned, much-loved cast iron pan.  When seasoned properly, less fat is needed to prevent sticking, heat is very even, and the cost of this pan vs. All Clad, well, you know the answer!  The only restriction is that you can’t cook with anything acid like tomatoes, citrus, wine or vinegar and you must have strong arms!

Perfectly carmelized sweet onions, lightly browned and chewy oyster mushroom bits, moist clumps of fresh pastured brown eggs – a perfect way to break the fast!

Soft Scrambled Eggs with Oyster Mushrooms

1 T olive oil
1 T organic ghee (or unsalted organic butter)
1/2 sweet onion either diced or very thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar
1 handful oyster mushrooms chopped in bite sized pieces

3 jumbo brown organic pastured eggs (4 large or extra-large)
splash of filtered water (c. 2 tsp)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (always after cooking)

a dollop of brightly-colored salsa

Serves 2 indulgently.

Don’t forget to warm the serving plates!

In a seasoned cast-iron pan that has been preheated over medium-high heat melt butter or ghee in olive oil until just beginning to sizzle.  Add onions and lower heat to medium-low, adding sugar and stirring.  Allow onions to become translucent, stirring occasionally.  Add mushrooms, stirring to coat with oil.  Raise heat to medium and allow mushrooms and onion to brown, stirring as needed. The onions should be lightly carmelized and the mushrooms lightly browned on the edges and glistening, not watery or too moist.

Meanwhile, whisk eggs in a small bowl with water until just well combined.  When mushrooms are properly browned, check if the amount of oil in pan is sufficient to prevent sticking.  If not, add a tiny amount of additional olive oil or ghee before adding eggs.  Raise heat to medium high, add eggs all around the pan and allow to slightly set.  Then take your spatula and scrape the pan from the sides into the middle while tipping the pan to allow the liquid to run to the edges, yielding the magic “big, wet, folds.”  Allow to set again (just a question of seconds), and do the same until the eggs are set all over and yet still glistening.  Remove from heat, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and allow your tastebuds to savor the marvelous flavor of oyster mushrooms and pastured eggs!  A splash of salsa adds color and zing to this dish.

Comments

[Laura]

I can't believe how gorgeous and delicious your photo of scrambled eggs and mushrooms is. Yum! I love the name of your blog, btw.

[Maggie]

Yum! The mushrooms look perfectly browned and the eggs look nice and soft.