Recipe: Refuel after your trail run with this egg scramble

I love to trail run, and this year’s mild winter has afforded me the opportunity to enjoy the trails virtually all winter long. My runs allow me to get out into the sunshine and spend some quality time with my mom, my friends and my Border collie Chloe. All of us have run together for several years now, and our runs not only exercise our bodies, they exercise our hearts and minds of whatever plagues us. My Border collie is about 12 now, and she’s run with me consistently for the 11 years that I’ve had her. No matter what the mileage, no matter what the terrain, she’s ready to go! Chloe has started to show her age recently, and I know that her best trail days are behind her. But I can’t imagine running without her, and I hope that we have at least a few more years of trail runs ahead of us.

I’ve logged many miles this winter along the V & T, Ash Canyon and Prison Hill trails. I’m always hungry after these runs and looking for a satisfying meal that I can quickly put together after I return home. This egg scramble is easy, satisfying and nutritious. What makes it even better is the fact that I was able to source many of the ingredients from local farms. The eggs in this scramble came from Dayton Valley Aquaponics, an aquaponic farm in Dayton. In addition to eggs, Dayton Valley Aquaponics has been producing tomatoes and ginger all winter long. In this recipe, I am also using some cherry tomatoes that I purchased at the end of last summer’s Carson Farmer’s Market at 3rd and Curry streets, which I froze so I could taste a little bit of summer tomato in the cold months. To top things off (pun intended), I am using the Artesano Queso Fresco from Sand Hill Dairy, a family-owned and run dairy that produces incredibly fresh milk and cheese directly from Fallon. This cheese is deliciously mild and light, and because it crumbles so well, it is the perfect topping for this egg scramble.

I am picky about my scrambled eggs, so I employ a little bit of technique to achieve the perfect scrambled egg. The key to making delicious, fluffy and custardy scrambled eggs is to whip them in a bowl before placing them in a skillet and then cook them on medium-low to low heat.

Farm Fresh Egg Scramble 

Serves 1

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 oz. Sand Hill Dairy Artesano Queso Fresco

Crumbled 1 large, leafy sprig of flat leaf Italian parsley, minced

5 to 6 cherry tomatoes, diced

1 Tbsp. butter

Salt and Pepper

Crack eggs into a small bowl and whip with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Melt butter in skillet on medium-low to low heat. Pour the whipped eggs into the pan and distribute the eggs along the entire bottom of the pan. Let sit for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Then use broad sweeping motions with your spatula, scraping the bottom of the pan to push the egg back and forth across the pain. Be sure to do this motion across the entire bottom of the pan as the egg cooks. Continue to distribute the egg in this manner equally around the circumference of the pan with a heat-safe spatula as the egg cooks. Just as the eggs are fully cooked through, remove them from the pan on to a plate.

Place tomatoes in the same pan that you used for the eggs, adding a teaspoon of olive oil or butter if the pan is dry. Increase heat to high and quickly sauté the diced tomatoes until fully cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Remove tomatoes from pan and place on top of eggs. Crumble the queso fresco onto the eggs and top with minced parsley. If you like your eggs spicy, season with your favorite hot sauce or salsa. Enjoy!

Angela Bullentini Wolf is owner/manager of Gather, a farm-to-table, fine casual restaurant located at 402 N. Carson St. in downtown Carson City.