Or: why to have leftover caprese in your refrigerator.

Saturday we went to a barbecue at Joann's house. I managed not to get my camera out for the entire time. We had chicken and beeves and potato salad and pasta salad and caprese salad and skewered vegetables and corn on the cob and cherries and shortcake and chocolate cake and cookies and watermelon. Then we were all very full. There was a cubic foot of food left over, so much that we got to take an entire bag home. This meant that for the entire rest of long holiday weekend, all we really needed to do for food was open the refrigerator. It was great.

So one of our packets was Joann's version of insalata caprese, made with actual fresh mozz and whole grape tomatoes and food processor pesto with lots of raw garlic and pine nuts and olive oil. This was particularly advantageous since it meant I could make a second version of my egg and salad concoction from last weekend. Since we also had all kinds of spinach lying around, I decided to add some of that.

This business can run the gamut from "eggs with vegetables" to "vegetables with a little egg for body". I used roughly equal proportions, with four eggs to 2/3 bunch of spinach and maybe a cup and a half of mixed tomatoes and mozz, for the first option. This turned out astonishingly rich: really good, but rich. So that made it difficult to eat more than about one egg's worth of business. I would either halve the eggs for two people, or double the vegetables for four. That makes this greens and eggs: a big mess of vegetables with just enough egg clinging on to make them substantial.

Greens and eggs

butter/etc
two eggs
fresh spinach
leftover caprese salad, separated
salt, pepper

Start by melting some butter in a good nonstick egg-oriented pan. While it's softening, separate a good handful or so of tomatoes from your caprese. Cut them in half (if you have cherry or grape tomatoes) or little dice (if you have big chunks). Or you can just use a plain unsaladated tomato.

Stick the tomatoes and some salad pesto into the butter and cook slowly to reduce. This will take a while, maybe ten minutes or so. While they're cooking, wash, destem, and chop most of a bunch of spinach. Crack and beat eggs in a small pitcher or cup. Also chop up some of the pieces of mozzarella out of the salad. You don't need an overabundance of cheese here: use maybe a third of a cup.

When tomatoes have mostly reduced, pour in the eggs, add the spinach, and start stirring. Cook slowly as the eggs gradually firm up. At about the five minute mark, add your cheese. Keep cooking and stirring until the cheese is melted and the visible egg is done to your satisfaction. Depending on pan heat and etc., this could take up to ten more minutes. Be patient. That should really just be the theme for eggs in general.