Egg and cheese scramble with farmer's market vegetables and chive flowers

This was supposed to be a Frittata. Two things prevented this from happening. Firstly, the oven was being used to cook a piece of pork, so no browning of the cheese under the grill was possible. Secondly and probably most importantly, the frying pan has decided to no longer be of the non-stick variety, making it impossible to cook anything without it sticking like glue to the surface. What transpired was an absolute mess, but it worked.

The cheese I added melted into the eggs and vegetables and created a sort of molten sauce. My initial idea was to just turn the whole thing over and let the cheese brown at the bottom of the pan, but even this proved to be a difficult task as the whole thing just started to scramble. So I thought sod it, I'll stir it together.

Vegetables this fresh need no help in the kitchen, except seasoning which is essential. I only discovered this fairly recently, going through a phase of not seasoning enough to using too liberal a hand to render everything mouth-puckingly unpalatable. Now I think I have the knack. Don't be afraid of the salt cellar, although you can just hand out salt at the end, but then you do run the risk of your dinner guests thinking your cooking is bland. (Tsk, tsk).

Summer seems to be the time when culinary tom-foolery comes into play. Edible flowers start to appear on dishes in restaurants. Rose petals, marigolds, nasturtiums and these chive flowers, delicate and beautiful with a subtle onion flavour add a touch of colour and prettiness to anything they grace.

I particularly like nasturtiums, the leaves are peppery and add an interest to a salad, as do the flowers and even the buds can be used like capers. But, I have found them so difficult to grow. For two years they have at first stunned me with their rapid growth and prolific blooming of multi-coloured flowers, only to then suddenly wither and die over a period of one week. I have no idea what I am doing wrong, but I will persevere again this year, as they are too valuable as a culinary plant to give up on.

Recipe : Scrambled cheese and eggs with farmer's market veg and chive flowers

1 tsp butter and 1 tbsp oil

1 onion, sliced finely

1/2 leek, washed and sliced finely

1/2 bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely sliced

1 handful kale

1 handful spinach

1 handful mixed seasonal greens

4 slices ham, shredded

3 chives, cut finely

salt and pepper

3 eggs

3/4 cup grated cheese

3 chive flowers

Heat the oil and butter over medium heat in a frying pan and add the onion, leek and bell pepper. Stir, reduce the heat to low and let the vegetables saute and sweat gently until soft. (About 20 - 25 minutes). Keep stirring.

Add the kale, spinach. greens, ham and chives and season with salt and pepper. Stir well and let these vegetables cook until wilted. Drain off as much oil as possible from the pan, leaving a small amount to cook the eggs.

Spread the vegetables into an even layer in the pan and crack the eggs into the mixture. Add the cheese and start to stir everything together well, until the egg is cooked through and scrambled and the cheese well melted and starting to brown. Push the mixture down into the pan in an even layer and let it cook for a few moments to crust at the bottom and give you some nice toasty, crispy bits. (Be careful not to let it burn).

Serve with the chive flowers sprinkled over.