Last Night's Dinner

I had a few handfuls of pea shoots that I picked at Quail Hill yesterday, and I wanted to use them for dinner. Trolling the internet for pea shoot recipes, I found this delightful British website devoted to the subject. Since I am going to London in August, I studied it carefully (check out the “contact us” Queen Elizabeth stamp). The following recipe is adapted from this one (I fried my egg instead of soft-boiling it, and frizzled the prosciutto before tossing it with the pea shoots). As they say on www.peashoots.com, “Serve with fresh crusty bread, or if you’re feeling really naughty a generous portion of chips...”

Pea Shoot Salad with Prosciutto and a Fried Egg
Serves 2

4 cups pea shoots, washed and dried.
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 slices prosciutto, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
2 large eggs

1. Place the pea shoots in a mixing bowl. Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the prosciutto and cook until it just starts to crisp up, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the prosciutto and oil into the bowl, add the lemon juice and mustard, and stir together. Add the pea shoots and toss to coat. Divide among two plates.
2. Heat the remaining ½ teaspoon of oil in the skillet over medium-low heat. Crack the egg into the skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. Check the egg and, if necessary, continue to cook, covered, until it is just how you like it. Slide the one egg on top of each portion of the pea shoots and eat immediately.