Sometimes, I don't feel like putting together a full meal to share, but I still don't want to grab a burger on the way in to the office, or order a burger once there. That's when I break out one of a handful of easy recipes designed to make just enough for me. These typically involve very few ingredients, most of which I have on hand at work by now. Miso soup happens from time to time, as do simple grilled cheese sandwiches, braised greens with accompaniments ranging from sausage to sweet potatoes, and lots and lots of egg dishes.
I keep a dozen eggs on hand at work pretty much all the time, now, so I can whip up a quick scramble or an omelet whenever the mood strikes. A while back, I found myself sans dinner and craving an old standby from my very early days cooking. As happens frequently, I turned to the eggs.
Typically, my scrambled egg sandwiches are ridiculously simple affairs. A standard sandwich consists of two or three eggs, slowly scrambled so that they develop large curds, smooshed between a couple slices of toasted wheat bread spread liberally with mayonnaise.
Technique is a bit important here. You want to use low heat and a broad, slow pushing motion to stir the eggs as they cook. The low temperature ensures slow and even cooking, and the broad stroke allows the eggs to form large, fluffy, cohesive curds. If you use high heat, you'll wind up with tough eggs. If you stir quickly or with short strokes, you'll wind up with much finer, more individually defined eggs. Good technique here will help with sandwich construction down the line.
This time, I dressed it up a bit. I happened to have some white miso paste on hand for miso soup, and I used it to make a bit of miso mayonnaise. I simply whisked one part miso into three parts mayonnaise with a fork until thoroughly combined. The subtly sweet, salty, savory depth worked nicely and added an interesting twist to a comforting dish. I also had some baby spinach, and dressed the sandwich with a handful of leaves for color and nutrition. Along with a baked sweet potato I ate alongside, that spinach made me feel a bit better about eating what basically amounted to a cholesterol sandwich.
As far as office kitchenette cooking goes, this is about as basic as it gets. I could have simplified things further by scrambling the eggs directly in the pan, rather than beating them in a separate bowl. I offered to make one for my coworker, but he turned me down. I think he was intimidated by the sandwich.
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