I made this New York Times Provençal Greens Soup last year with swiss chard and spinach from the farmers’ market. Last week, with my abundance of greens from the CSA, I made another batch with callaloo (a Caribbean spinach substitute also known as amaranth and pigweed) and mizuna (a Japanese, arugula-like green). 

The slightly bitter greens melded well into this humble dish, traditionally made with foraged greens, such as dandelion. The base of the soup is nothing more than l’eau de Miami with softened leeks and garlic. After the greens cook, two beaten eggs are tempered and whirled into the pot, creating a pale, murky liquid. A topping of fresh garlic croutons and Parmesan add a final flourish (and necessary caloric boost).

Ree Drummund is everywhere right now. And although I’ve visited her Pioneer Woman blog a few times, I had yet to make any of her recipes—until last week when she posted Lazy Chiles Rellenos. I like lazy. And I love poblanos and cheese, so I decided to give it a try.

Drummund uses canned peppers for her dish, but without a Southwestern-stocked grocery store, I had to opt for a little less lazy and roast the poblanos myself. After roasting the peppers (see preparation below), I placed them into an oiled baking dish, topped them with cheddar (rather than Drummund’s jack) and a milk-egg mixture. Just bake and then serve with warm tortillas and refried beans for a super simple dinner, breakfast or brunch.

The poblanos were a little spicy for William’s taste (maybe I left in too much of the peppers’ ribs and seeds), but I enjoyed the fruity, mildly throat-burning flavor. This isn’t  mind-blowing—lazy rarely is. But it makes a solid weeknight meal, and for leftovers, it works wonders with bacon in a bagel sandwich.

Roasted Poblano Peppers
On a baking sheet, roast peppers under the broiler, turning as skin begins to blacken. When all sides are blistered and darkened, remove from oven, and cool slightly. (I recommend wearing gloves for the last few steps.) Remove skins. Cut a lengthwise slit in the peppers. Remove seeds and stems.

Catechism introduced me to Purgatory years ago, but I had not met uova in Purgatorio until last month through a recipe on thekitchn.com. This dish in limbo requires little time for preparation and combines some of my favorite ingredients—eggs, tomatoes, garlic and basil—which are designed to be spread upon and sopped up by a crusty hunk of bread.

The basic premise of the recipe is to cook eggs in a tomato sauce—some recipes call for baking the eggs. Others recipes (including mine) cook on the stove top.  And though the flavor profiles are continents away, this dish is reminiscent of my favorite curried eggs, which also are cooked in a tomato base.

While my recipe sticks with tomato sauce basics, others call for olives, mushrooms, Parmesan, etc. Use what you love and have on hand for a simple, healthy, filling, vegetarian, cheap and guiltless meal. 

Uova in Purgatorio
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 14-ounce can whole tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup thinly sliced basil
4 eggs

Instructions
In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil on medium. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook until garlic turns golden—2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes (and their juices) and the basil to the pan. Break up tomatoes with the back of your spoon. Bring mixture to a boil, and simmer until mixture thickens. You should be able to drag your spoon through the sauce and leave a momentary trough.

Make four indentions in the sauce, and crack an egg into each. Cover the pot, and cook until egg whites are firm but the yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes.

Divide eggs and sauce into 2 bowls, and serve with big hunks of crusty bread.

Serves 2

No matter how many times I prepare soufflé, my nerves get the best of me. My heart races. I fear failure. 

Yet all of my soufflés puff and rise into glorious, eggy perfection (close enough for me, at least) thanks to Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” recipe, which I wouldn’t dare replicate here.

If you can’t tell, my photography was rushed the night I made this. I refused to give you all a breathtaking shot of my soufflé and have it fall before it made it to my plate and mouth. 

William and I needed little else to complete this meal—just a handful of sauteed spinach and a glass of white wine. What a fussy, stressful, simple (and therefore French) meal. 

It’s hard to screw up a fritatta. I suppose you could overcook or under-season one, but they lovingly take on all sorts of vegetables and dairy products. This week I assembled a frittata of potatoes, spinach, cheddar cheese and buttermilk—we ran out of regular milk, but its sour cousin was a successful substitute. 

Don’t take my word for it, though. Crack open eggs, empty your fridge of veggies and cheese and prepare to enjoy. 

Potato and Spinach Fritatta with Cheddar
9 ounces fresh baby spinach, stems removed
1 tablespoons dry white wine or sherry
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
1 pound yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin rounds 
1 tablespoon butter
8 large eggs
1/4 cup milk or buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
White pepper
2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions
Preheat oven to a 500° broil.

Warm up an 8-inch non-stick frying pan, on medium high heat. Add spinach and wine, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove spinach from pan, and continue to drain, if necessary.

Return the pan to the stove, and heat olive oil over medium high. Add onions, and sweat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add potatoes, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until they begin to soften.  

Meanwhile, beat eggs, milk, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt and white pepper. 

Add butter to the frying pan, and stir until melted. Stir in spinach and season the vegetables with 1/2 teaspoon (or more) kosher salt. Pour egg mixture into the pan, turn down heat to medium-low, and cook gently. As the eggs cook, lift a small side of the frittata with a rubber spatula and let uncooked egg run to the bottom of the pan—repeat 5 to 8 times. 

When the eggs are still runny on top but set on the bottom, top with cheese, and put the pan under the broiler for 5 minutes, until the frittata is completely set and puffy. 

Serves 4

Tortilla topped with sauteed spinach and tomato

Tortillas and frittatas make it into our dinner rotation every few months. Sometimes I use a recipe, but more often I craft these types of egg dishes based on the contents of my refrigerator. This was no exception.  

A lonely yukon potato provided the bulk of the tortilla. And since rosemary is a flavor I tend to neglect in summer, I decided to pluck a few fresh sprigs for this dish. I also topped the tortilla with sauteed spinach and tomatoes that begged to be eaten.  

A few notes on the recipe: The egg-to-potato ratio is a high compared to traditional recipes, but since this dish was built for one (hungry girl) I played with the proportions. Also, parmesan is clearly not a Spanish ingredient, but with a block in the fridge, who could resist. 

Spanish tortilla with rosemary
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 onion, thinly sliced
1 medium yukon gold (or other) potato
2 teaspoons minced, fresh rosemary
3 large eggs
Splash of cream or milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon parmesan (optional)

Instructions
Preheat oven to broil. Heat olive oil over medium high in a 6- to 8-inch non-stick pan. Add onions, and cook until light golden. Add potatoes, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until they begin to soften. 

Meanwhile, beat eggs, cream, and salt and pepper. 

Add rosemary to pan with onion and potatoes. Cook for 1 minute, and turn heat to low. Pour egg mixture into the pan, and cook gently. As the eggs cooks, lift a small side of the tortilla with a rubber spatula and let the uncooked egg run to the bottom of the pan—repeat 3 to 4 times. 

When the eggs are still runny on top, but set on the bottom, put the pan under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, until the tortilla is completely set and puffy. 

Remove pan from over, and invert tortilla onto a plate.

Serves 1

P.S. A little wedge of this makes a mean breakfast sandwich. I stuffed a sour dough English muffin with tortilla and melted cheddar. Hmmm.