Bacon, Egg, Cheese and Kimchi

Ali Slagle’s kimchi, egg and cheese sandwich.Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Good morning. Ali Slagle made a great point about breakfast sandwiches the other day. The reason we put ketchup on them is that the sweet acidity of the condiment helps counter the fatty richness of the bacon, eggs and cheese. (I thought it was because I’m an American, and for me as for Swedes and Canadians, ketchup is a birthright.) For a twist, she said, swap the ketchup for kimchi and make a kimchi, egg and cheese (above).

Holy crow! That’s a lovely breakfast for a host of reasons, perhaps the best of which is the crunch of the fiery kimchi against the softness of the scrambled eggs and cheese. Perfection. If enough of us start making it regularly, the bodega cats will catch wind of it and adjust their menus accordingly. That would be a lovely thing to see.

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Kimchi, Egg and Cheese Sandwich

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I’m adding bacon to mine, so, a BECK for breakfast and maybe some smoked almonds for lunch. I’ll downshift into swordfish piccata for dinner and call it a weekend. Then I can turn to the rest of the week. …

Monday

Here’s a terrific pantry meal from Naz Deravian: white bean, rice and dill soup. I like a squeeze of lemon juice at the end — a whisper of brightness against the heft of the turmeric-stained rice and beans.