Pepper and scrambled egg sandwiches show up at Chicago beef joints for Lent. But the usual French bread roll can be unwieldy, so I’ve gone wrap. For some oomph, I used the mushroom, onion, and green pepper pizza topping on the Friday Special at a favorite local pizzeria. So cheese was a logical next step, along with oregano. Mushroom, Onion, Pepper and Egg Wraps work for meatless Fridays or any time.
To keep a little bit of bite in the vegetables, I borrowed a technique from the Pepper and Egg Sandwich recipe on Serious Eats by a Chicago Tribune food writer. Use higher heat to cook the vegetables in oil and lower heat to scramble the eggs. I throw some cubes of cold butter in the eggs to encourage a creamy texture (and buttery flavor) in the scramble.
I also use another tip for tender scrambled eggs. Add the salt when you beat the eggs in a bowl, before cooking. Prepping the eggs first gives the salt time to dissolve and start working its food chemistry magic. So, salt and beat the eggs, and get to work on your mise en place.
The goal is tender scrambled eggs with nuggets of al dente vegetables and melty pockets of cheese. There’s typically no sauce on a Chicago style pepper and egg sandwich. But a couple shakes of hot sauce add some kicky brightness.
Mushroom, Onion, Pepper and Egg Wraps work for meatless Fridays or any time. They’re a fun change of pace from a scrambled egg breakfast or a great option on those “breakfast for dinner” nights. Borrowing flavors from the Friday Special pizza doubles down on classic Chicago flavors.
Mushroom, Onion, Pepper and Egg Wraps
EQUIPMENT
- 10 inch non-stick skillet
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- pinch salt (about 1/16 teaspoon)
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup diced onion
- 1/4 cup canned mushroom pieces, drained
- 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
- pinch salt and black pepper
- 1/2 ounce provolone, 1/2 slice, diced into small cubes
- 2 8-inch flour tortillas
- hot sauce to taste
Instructions
- Crack eggs into small bowl. Add a small pinch of salt, about 1/16 teaspoon. (I use a 1/8 teaspoon and eyeball about half.) Use a fork to scramble the eggs. Toss in the cubed butter. Set aside as you prep the vegetables and gather remaining ingredients.
- Heat olive oil in 10-inch pan over medium-high heat till shiny. Add the onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, and oregano with a tiny pinch of salt and black pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently until onion is translucent and vegetables are starting to brown in spots. Turn down the heat for a minute or two to allow pan to cool down, leave the vegetables in the pan.
- Turn up the heat to medium-low. Pour the eggs and butter mixture into the pan over the sautéed vegetables. Cook while stirring for about 1 and half minutes or until eggs are not quite set to your liking. Add the provolone and continue cooking and stirring until cheese starts to melt and the eggs cook to your liking. Turn off heat. If desired, add more salt and black pepper to taste.
- If desired, heat up 2 tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds on high power.
- Divide scrambled egg with vegetables between 2 flour tortillas. Sprinkle on some hot sauce if you like. Roll up the tortilla leaving the ends open. Slice in half and serve.
Notes
- Prepping the eggs first, beating them in a bowl with a pinch of salt, allows some time for the salt to dissolve as you work to gather the remaining ingredients. The goal is to encourage tenderness in the scrambled eggs. Confusingly, some cooking sites claim the opposite, but the chemistry involved is described in Harold McGee’s “On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen” in which he confirms the tenderizing effect of salt on eggs.
- Adding chilled cubes of butter to the beaten eggs rather than melting it in the pan is another strategy t tender scrambled eggs.
- You need a tortilla or wrap big enough to accommodate 2 scrambled eggs and about 1/3 cup of vegetables. I use a tortilla that’s about 8 inches in diameter which is just right if you leave the ends open. Use larger tortillas if you want to fully enclose the egg and vegetable filling, like a burrito. Or you could use smaller tortillas and make more than 2 wraps.
- Just going on record with my discomfort at the lack of an Oxford comma in the name of this recipe. Trying to respect the Pepper and Egg Sandwich that inspired my wrap, but really feel I’m missing a comma.
