by Lauren Groveman in I Love to Cook

This dish is unusually quick and easy, especially considering how elegant and absolutely wonderful it is. Since the mushrooms are seasoned in advance, all you need to do is heat a dry pan and sear away. Usually, I don’t cook mushrooms in a nonstick skillet, since that can keep them from caramelizing. I do here, however, since the mushroom liquid that’s released is used to flavor the scrambled eggs.

Yield : 1 Serving

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon mixed minced fresh thyme and rosemary
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 portobello mushroom (between 3 and 4 inches in diameter), stem removed and cap wiped clean on both sides
• Kosher or sea salt
• One 1-inch-thick slice ripe beefsteak tomato, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons butter or olive oil, or nonstick vegetable spray
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons snipped fresh chives, plus more for garnish

Directions

Mix the olive oil with the herbs and some black pepper, and brush it liberally on both sides of the mushroom. Heat a heavy-bottomed 8-inch non-stick skillet over high heat and, when hot, sprinkle the surface lightly with salt. Add the mushroom to the hot pan and cook, turning several times, until golden and cooked through, about 7 minutes. Remove the mushroom from the pan and keep it on a warmed serving plate, gill side up, covered loosely with aluminum foil. Don’t wipe out the pan; just put it back on the stove.

If you’d like to heat the tomato, warm a teaspoon or so of butter or oil in the pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the tomato slice and sear well on one side only. Sprinkle the top (raw) side with a little salt and pepper. Remove the tomato using a thin spatula and place it, seared side up, on the underside of the cooked mushroom and cover them. Don’t wipe out the pan; just put it back on the stove. Alternatively, just lay a beautiful slice of room-temperature raw tomato on top of the mushroom. Melt 2 teaspoons butter or heat more oil in the same skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the beaten egg and let it cook, undisturbed, just until it starts to set on the bottom. Reduce the heat to low and, using a heatproof rubber spatula, stir the egg, incorporating any bits of mushroom and tomato left in the pan. Add the chives and some salt and pepper, and cook, stirring continually, until it’s done to your liking. Spoon the scrambled egg over the tomato and garnish with a little more snipped chives. Serve right away.

Notes Timing is Everything:

The mushroom can be seasoned up to two days ahead and kept in the refrigerator, well covered.