There haven’t been many posts in Cooking with Rocchi, recently, and that’s because whether novice or expert, the one thing all cooks know is that you can’t cook when you aren’t near a kitchen. I’m going to assume everyone who reads this knows me, and knows why, but, good God, on the off chance that those two things aren’t true, I work as a journalist and critic covering the world of film, and now and then that means travel, like this week when I was in Montana for two nights and NYC for 12 hours, during which I spoke to 8 famous people, and there it is. 

… Which is why, this morning, I awoke to a kitchen fairly devoid of fresh vegetables and etc. And so, I made one of my favorite, clean-out-the-fridge, you-probably-have-the-ingredients-about, bettter-than-cereal-or-going-out breakfasts, Toad in the Hole. 

Now, the real — or, rather, the British — Toad-in-the-Hole is more of a Yorkshire pudding with sausage and embedded in it, like a variation on Johnny Cake, which is cornbread with sausage embedded.  But this is what my mom called Toad-in-the-Hole, and if that dish, and that name, was good enough for a woman who raised five kids, guess who else it’s good enough for? 

And it’s fairly yummy, egg and toast self-contained, with a little circular yolk-sopping pal. If you’re in a rush — or don’t have much in your fridge aside from eggs and bread and even had to have your coffee with Almond Milk like some kinda hippie, blech, then this is a nice quick day-starter. Yes, this morning, to paraphrase Yes,  I’m the owner of a lonely fridge— but this is a nice enough way to start the day and get me to the grocery store. 

TOAD-IN-THE-HOLE

1) Turn stove to medium. Spray flat, large skillet with olive oil lightly; add half as much butter as you think you should add, for taste. 

2) On a cutting board, place two slices bread. (I had whole-grain, as it was in my fridge (to stay fresh-ish) and it is good.) With small-mouthed glass (or, if you are fancier than I, biscuit cutter), press down and cut holes out of center of bread. Put aside. 

3) Place bread slices and holes on warm skillet. Crack single egg into each “hole.” Keep heat medium-high. 

4) Flip at desired degree of done-ness, depending on your capacity for/phobia of runny egg yolk. 

5) Plate and serve. If extra British-ness needed, talk like Michael Caine to self. 

Next: Oh, I have no clue. I’ve been travelling. It’ll happen.