IBERIAN SCRAMBLED EGGS

Scrambled eggs are only eaten for breakfast in Spain when they are plain. When other ingredients are added to the eggs (the below is a particularly good combination) they become a lunch or dinner dish. The only explanation for these eating times is cultural: for example, if you see somebody eating paella for dinner you can be sure they are not Spanish - paella is just not a dinner dish.

I have been asked by many people over the last three days to be more precise with all the quantities. The below is for a lunch/dinner for one, though sure it depends on how hungry you are!

You need:
- 2 eggs
- 3 tinned 'piquillo peppers' (they sell them in most supermarkets now) - cut them into stripes and keep also two teaspoons of the tin juice.
- 2 slices of Serrano, Iberico or Parma ham (the ham will be slightly fried, so no need to get an expensive one)
- a teaspoon of chopped parsley
- one teaspoon of olive oil
-  pinch of salt (not too much as the ham is salty anyway)
and a non stick frying pan.

Heat the pan (medium heat). Add the piquillo peppers with a tablespoon of their tin liquid. When the liquid has evaporated (1-2 minutes) take them off the pan. Heat the olive oil in the pan, tear the ham slices into strips and add them to the pan with half of the chopped parsley. Wait for one minute. Then add the peppers back to the pan. Beat the eggs, add the salt and add them to the pan. Stir with a wooden spoon. After a couple of minutes they are done. Just sprinkle the rest of the parsley on top and eat immediately.

My middle son makes really good scrambled eggs now and he manages to do the 'stir, lift and fold' movement which is the key to avoiding scrambled eggs looking miserable. These are definitely 'happy" eggs: