laguna beach brunch

So our good friend Arlen (of Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps and Cloud Cult) asked me to go on tour with one of his bands, Dewi Sant. Their bass player backed out at the last minute, and I was the first vagabond he thought of. Tour has been absolutely beautiful. I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune next week when we're cold again, but right now, in southern California, I can't imagine feeling happier. I'm going to petition the rest of the band to move here as soon as possible.

Our present hostess, Elizabeth, made us some mean blueberry coffee cake for breakfast. We should probably be leaving for our show in LA right now, but not before I make us a late brunch. The following recipe is the result of things found in a fridge in a beautiful home at the top of a big hill in Laguna Beach:



Uova alla Puttanesca

note: Measuring is for suckers. All given metrics are completely arbitrary guesses.

1 Dozen large eggs
Heavy Cream (or Half and Half or Milk)
1 Sweet Bell Pepper
2/3 Red Onion
4-5 cloves garlic
2-3 Tbsp. Capers
1/2 lemon
Cayenne Pepper
Oregeno
Salt
Pepper

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet under medium heat. Mince the garlic (tip: first slice the cloves really thin, then add some salt--this will act as an abrasive to aid in mincing). Fry the garlic for a few minutes (add enough oil to keep the garlic from caramelizing and congealing). Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the onion; cook for a few minutes before adding the bell pepper. Squeeze the lemon juice into the skillet. Cook for a few minutes and add the capers. Salt, pepper, cayenne, and oregeno to taste.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and about 1/4 cup of cream/milk. When you're tired of whisking, whisk for another minute or two.

When the veggies are cooked to your desired tenderness, turn the heat up to high and add the eggs. Stir regularly to evenly scramble the eggs.

Serve.