June 28: Fried Greens with Ham and Eggs

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
4 large slices prosciutto di Parma, deli sliced but not too thin (you need to handle it)
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tin of flat anchovy fillets, drained (optional, but highly recommended)
1 1/2 pounds dandelion greens, trimmed and halved or torn across
   Coarse black pepper
   Freshly grated or ground nutmeg
4 large eggs
   Coarse salt
2 scallions, finely chopped

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the 5 tablespoons of EVOO and fry the sliced prosciutto for 5 minutes, until crisp.Remove the prosciutto with tongs, reserving the oil. Cool the prosciutto and crumble it into pieces. Set aside.

Preheat a griddle or second large nonstick skillet over medium heat.

To the oil in the first skillet, add the garlic, crushed red pepper, and anchovies. Melt the anchovies into the oil, 2 minutes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon. Once melted, the anchovies will taste nutty rather than fishy. Add the greens to the pan and wilt. Season the greens with pepper and nutmeg to taste. The anchovies should provide enough salt.

Drizzle EVOO on the hot griddle pan and fry the eggs as you like: sunny side up, over easy, or over hard.

Pile one fourth of the greens on each plate and top with bits of crisp prosciutto and a fried egg. Season the egg with salt and pepper, garnish with chopped scallions, and serve.

4 SERVINGS

I made this recipe last year, and I hated it. I really like eggs, but the dandelion greens were so bitter I wanted to gag. I could only take about 2 bites of them. I wrote at the bottom of the recipe "I do not like green eggs and ham." I do not like them in a boat. I do not like them with a goat :) Anyway, I would recommend just having a nice bacon/egg dinner with buttered toast and orange juice :) Or an omelet if you wanted to get some vegetables in there. RR says: "Here's another meal that's good for B, L, or D: Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner. This one is for my gran'pa." Now that I'm all caught up, hopefully I can get back to cooking each meal. That might not happen though, because I'll be going on vacation for 2 weeks (at least) coming up on Friday. We'll see.