These eggs were one of my fondest memories of supper. Supper
or as Hungarians call it vacsora is a light meal. We never had eggs for
breakfast we only had it in the evening. These eggs were rare; we only had it when
the large yellow peppers were in high season.
If you are wondering, where is the paprika? In Hungarian
“paprika” can mean one of two things. Paprika can mean the vegetable, capsicum
or the spice made from the red ones... This is no more confusing then the use
of pepper in English. It can mean the vegetable or the totally unrelated spice,
black pepper.
Making eggs in the skillet requires two things. The first
one is temperature. Too high temperature is the death of eggs. Leathery,
burnt eggs have a foul flavour. Cook them on medium heat, not
too low and not too high. The other factor is the use of lard. Yes lard! You
can make it with oil, butter or margarine, but those eggs will taste better and
cook up easier if you use lard. Fat is the substance
human brain cannot function without. When you get to be a senior citizen like
me, you are increasingly aware how people pass from this world. For some
unknown reason, statistics show that there are more incidences of Alzheimer’s
among skinny people. Could it be they failed to feed their brain with fat?
BELL PEPPER EGGS
1 large Hungarian yellow pepper [not hot], sliced
1 Tbsp lard
3 eggs
salt to taste
- Quarter a large yellow pepper, remove and discard the core and the stem.
- Slice the flesh into strips.
- Break the eggs into a bowl and set it aside.
- Heat up a non-stick skillet on medium heat.
- Add the lard and melt it.
- Add the sliced pepper and sauté for two minutes stirring often.
- Meanwhile whisk well the eggs and salt it to taste.
- Pour the eggs onto the peppers, tilting the pan.
- Make sure the temperature is at medium. Gently pull parts and turn over to cook the eggs evenly.
- When the eggs are no longer runny but still shiny in parts remove the skillet from the heat. There still be residual heat left and the egg will continue to cook.
- Serve immediately with a thick slice of homey bread.
