let's start the new year right

I was stunned when I walked into Trader Joe's this morning. The rows of produce now face in the other direction! Where is everything?

I organize my grocery list according to the route I would have to take through TJ's, and unless I've forgotten something on the list, I usually make one lap, and am out of there. I circled about 3 times today. I guess it's been almost a month since I've been grocery shopping. That'll disorient you, for sure.

So here we are - first grocery trip and first meal cooked of 2012. And what a fantastic way to start the year (and the day). Really tender eggs, flavored fantastically with chiles and tomatoes. They're not spicy (Matty added Cholula), but there's a nice amount of smoky depth to them. I didn't have sour cream, so I subbed a dollop of ricotta for the garnish, and the extra creaminess really made the meal extra decadent.

I also didn't get a chance to get duck eggs, so I'll have to try that next time. I mean, if the superiority of duck over chicken is any indication, I'd be a fool not to get the right eggs next time.

Scrambled Smoky Eggs on Sourdough
adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty
Serves 4, lightly

4 dried chipotle peppers
4 thick slices sourdough bread
butter
2 T. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 small shallot, sliced
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
6 eggs
1 t. salt
4 T. ricotta

1. Tear the dried peppers into large chunks, discarding the stem and seeds. Place them in a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 15 minutes. Then drain, chop into rough chunks and set aside.

2. Toast and butter the bread.

3. Heat up the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic and shallot and cook lightly on medium-high heat. When they begin to turn golden, add the tomatoes and peppers and cook for a further 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Break the eggs into a bowl and beat lightly with a fork, adding the salt. Pour the eggs into the frying pan and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring constantly to create runny scrambled eggs.

5. Put the toasts on serving plates and spoon the eggs on top. Serve immediately, with a dollop of ricotta on top.