Caramelized Onions & Scrambled Eggs Tartine

My favorite place at home, apart from our three square meter kitchen, is undeniably the couch in our living room.

Our couch, which is large and spacious and white, and can sit three grown adults very comfortably, is where I spend countless hours reading, completely absorbed in a novel or a brand new cookbook.

I’ve probably always known it, but only fully realized the other day that I recharge in solitude; while I enjoy social events and am friendly by nature, there are days that call for some time alone, lost in my thoughts and shrouded in quiet.

I suppose it’s a wonderful thing to be comfortable in my own company, and very seldom do I need more than that and a good read to relax and leave the day’s worries or stresses aside.

I’ve realized that reading, and reading good writing, absolutely energizes me – it leaves me inspired to write better, but more than that, it also temporarily transports me somewhere else – across the continents to the Mediterranean, or to a kitchen in New York, or a village in South Asia.

And while there are perhaps numerous forms of good writing, the sort of writing I find myself most drawn to and comforted by is clear, concise writing that uses simple words in unique ways. Words that are easy to understand but whose use is extraordinary; strung together in woven stitches that tell beautiful, flowing stories.

This attraction to simplicity in writing naturally translates into the way I cook – my kitchen, with its bare white walls and grey marble counter, is small but sufficient.

And as long as my kitchen cupboards have the most basic essentials (which for me include onions, garlic, eggs, and rice), I am usually able to bring the ingredients together to form a decent meal.

Julia Child, author of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, as well as the legendary cooking inspiration, was a genius when she made this simple statement –

“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.”

She’s right, you know?

I believe that if you have the freshest ingredients available to work with, executing and creating a simple but delicious meal should be easy.

As some of you already know, I made a resolution (declared to the entire Internet world, better said) to eat more whole foods – foods that are as close to their natural state as possible, and to minimize eating foods that have gone through a lot of processing.

And whenever possible, I try to eat as little grains and wheat as I am able to, but if I do eat grains, I now consciously go for the whole-grains option.

For those days of solitude and quiet, when I’m relaxed and poring deeply over a good book; when I’m at peace with the world and myself; I feed my hungry stomach a good but uncomplicated meal made with just a few simple ingredients.

A fast, easy-to-put-together meal that comes together in minutes but smells beautiful and tastes heartening. Organic eggs, which have yolks that looks like the fiery orange sun just before it sets; scrambled together with golden brown, fragrant onions, caramelized and gorgeous. Sprinkle a dash of salt and pepper, mix it up a little, and then pile it atop freshly toasted whole grain bread.

There you have it – caramelized onions and scrambled eggs tartine. (A “tartine” simply means an open sandwich.)

Simple, fresh ingredients. One uncomplicated recipe. A satisfied me.

CARAMELIZED ONION & SCRAMBLED EGGS TARTINE
Serves 1

Ingredients:

1) 2 eggs, beaten
2) 1 large onion, sliced very thinly
3) Salt & Pepper
4) 2 slices of bread (gluten-free, whole grain bread would be best)

Steps:

1) Peel and slice the onion thinly, then saute in a little oil in a non-stick saucepan
2) Let onions cook until caramelized (about 10 minutes) moving onions with a wooden spoon every now and then
3) When onions are caramelized, beat two eggs in a bowl and pour eggs over the onions, scrambling them with the wooden spoon, making sure they don’t stick (about 3 minutes)
4) Add salt and pepper to taste
5) Toast the bread slices, and serve with caramelized onions and scrambled eggs on top
6) Add parsley for garnish (optional)