Sep 21

Sep 21 Breakfast Salad With Two Toppings

Today was our first normal, boring weekend since we got here, and everyone was hoping for a nice breakfast.

I looked into the fridge and found out that the salad greens I had bought a few days ago should be eaten while they’re still fresh. I also found that we had two chicken breasts left from lo mein, the previous day. Almost forgot the perfectly ripe figs that I simply had to buy, knowing that they were only for me. Plus I had some goat cheese left from our trip through the Côte d'Azur, France. (We were the stinkiest people on the ferry because our cooler was full of French cheese.)

My idea was to serve the salad base and all the toppings separately, so everybody could combine their own salad and nobody would whine.

On to business

I started out by splitting the chicken fillets lengthwise, and then cutting them into bitesize strips. On the hot oily pan I fried some chopped garlic, and then added the chicken. Seasoned with oregano, sweet pepper, salt, and black pepper. These are all we have on the spice shelf right now.

Almost forgot a little trick that I use to make chicken extra tasty: I add a bit of honey (or sugar if that’s all you’ve got) to the pan when the pieces are almost ready. This helps brown the meat, and it also tastes good. When nice and golden, set the chicken aside, and clean the pan if needed.
Next you slice the bread the way you like, and toast it in a butter–oil mix until nice and crisp. (Or use a toaster if you want.)
The salad base comes from two bags of salad that you just mix together. Then sprinkle with the juice of half a lemon. Set aside.
Wash the figs and cut into four. Arrange nicely so it brings some joy.
Wash and cut whatever else you’ve got. I had tomatoes.
For the dressing, you can drizzle some amazing local extra virgin olive oil, and season it with salt and pepper. Or you can open the fridge and ruin everything with a store-bought, mayo-based dressing.