Eggstravaganza

Spring has sprung, the joyous season of life renewed and life anew. Little wonder it's most beloved symbol is the icon of birth: an egg. People roll it, dye it, salt it, bake it whole into round bread and extol it many ways this week. So here are a few ways the world celebrates the egg.

Spanish Asparagus Revuelto
Revuelto means "scrambled" in Spanish and here's the NOW version with fresh Spring asparagus. 
Serves 4-6

3-4 tbsp olive oil

2 peeled garlic cloves, plus 1/2 tsp minced garlic

2 cups day old bread, cut in ½” cubes

Salt and pepper to your taste

2 oz Spanish chorizo, diced (you can use regular or picante)

1 bunch thin asparagus, about 1 1/2 pounds, cut in1½” lengths

1 bunch scallions, chopped

8 extra large eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp paprika (if you have Spanish so much the better)

¼ c milk

2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped

Put 3-4 tbsp olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of your pan) in a cast-iron skillet over medium/high heat. Add peeled garlic and bread cubes, season with salt and pepper, lower heat to medium and gently fry until bread is lightly browned and crisp, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon or spatula, remove bread and garlic. Take away the garlic. Set bread aside.

Add chorizo to the oiled pan and fry lightly over med/low heat. Add the asparagus, season with salt and pepper, and stir-fry until cooked through but still firm, 3 to 4 minutes. Add scallions and minced garlic. Cook 1 minute.

Season the eggs with salt, pepper and paprika. Whisk in the milk. Pour the mix into the pan and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the eggs are soft and creamy, 2- 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add parsley top with the fried bread cubes and serve immediately.

Persian Parsley Omelets

These are bright green pancake sized omelets. I included the useful recipe in Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking. If you are hamming it up on Easter, these will glorify the leftovers. And they fit perfectly in a toasted pita with sliced tomato. Other serving suggestion below.

Makes 15  2-3” “pancake” omelets

1 lg bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, cleaned

2 lg garlic cloves, peeled

¼ tsp fresh cracked or ground black pepper

6-7 scallions, cleaned

6 eggs

¼ tsp salt

3 tbsp olive oil

Put parsley, garlic, pepper and scallions in the bowl of a food processor and chop.  Or chop each individually, mincing the garlic, and combine.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl and blend in salt.  Whisk in the parsley mixture.

Heat a large flat skillet over medium heat and coat with 1 tbsp olive oil.  When oil is hot, put in 2 tbsp of egg mixture as though making a pancake. Scrap the ooze to try to keep a reasonably round shape 2-3 inches in diameter. Do this again 2 or 3 times until the skillet is full but there is space between the omelets. Cook until the edges start to brown and flip. Cook another minute and remove from heat. 

Continue making omelets until the egg mixture runs out.

Serve warm or at room temperature. 

They are delicious wrapped in lavash with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt and thinly sliced cucumber.

Chinese Tea Eggs, aka 1000-year-old eggs

These marbled hard boiled eggs are a feast for the eyes and a taste sensation on the tongue. Put them out as party finger food, use them to decorate the Easter dinner table, or make them part of a picnic spread. They are healthy snack. Double this for a whole carton.

6 extra large or jumbo eggs

1 cinnamon stick


3 tbsp soy sauce

1  tsp sugar 


2  star anise 


2 tbsp tea leaves or 2 bags of strong black tea like

Russian Caravan, Labsang Souchong or best quality Darjeeling

In a large saucepan, cover the eggs with 2 inches of water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and boil 3 minutes. Remove eggs from pan but do not discard water.

When eggs are cool enough to handle, with the back of
a teaspoon, gently tap the shells to delicately crack them all over while still keeping them intact. Return eggs to the water, and add the other ingredients. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to simmer. Cover and simmer 40 minutes, turn off heat and let eggs steep for 4 hours.

To Serve: Remove shells and serve whole to show off the marbling.

Shakshuka

This is the beloved poached egg dish of the Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Israel/Palestine), also enjoyed in Egypt and Tunisia. It's vivid color brightens the table and its wealth of flavors delights the tongue. Be sure to serve it with warm pita or lavash or some crusty bread to soak up the marvelous tomato sauce. BTW: It's friendly food traditionally served "homestyle" right in the pan straight off the burner, although someone I know once baked it.

Serves 4

3 tbsp fruity olive oil

3 lg garlic cloves, minced

1 lg red onion, diced

1 med green bell pepper, seeded and chunked

1 sm yellow bell pepper, seeded and chunked

1-2 hot chili peppers like Serrano or real jalapeno, seeded and minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp caraway seeds, smashed or ground

1-2 tsp smoked paprika

¼ tsp dried mint leaves

¼ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp ground cayenne or arbol chili powder

pinch ground cinnamon

1 tsp wine/balsamic vinegar

½ tsp honey

1 tsp tomato paste

2-3 cups chopped tomatoes in their juice

salt

black pepper to taste

8 eggs

1 bunch fresh cilantro, stemmed, washed and chopped for garnish

optional add ons: feta cheese, pitted black kalamata olives, chopped spinach

In a large heavy-gauge sauté pan that has a lid, heat olive oil. Sauté onions, bell and chili peppers and garlic over medium heat til soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the spices—cumin through cinnamon—and heat until fragrant, maybe 60-90 seconds. Stir in vinegar, tomato paste, honey and tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the sauce thickens, maybe 10-12 minutes depending on how juicy the tomatoes were.  Taste for flavor and add seasonings to your taste.

Get the sauce very hot and bubbly over medium heat and have the pan lid handy.  Carefully create 8 small pockets in the sauce and crack an egg into each one. Try to nudge a little sauce into the eggwhites.  Cover and continue cooking to poach the eggs to your liking.

Uncover the pan. Add the optionals you desire. Let them heat up 1 minute. Remove pan from heat. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve right out of the pan.

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs

I've posted this before but it's a keeper so worth repeating because it works for just about any occasion. And May will bring plenty. This has become my go-to upgrade to the standard mayo/mustard versions.
I should admit the recipe amounts are flexible.

8 eggs (1 per person)

4-5 scallions, trimmed and minced

1 tbsp chopped fresh chives

2 tsp drained capers

8 eggs (1 per person)

4-5 scallions, trimmed and minced

1 tbsp chopped fresh chives

2 tsp drained capers

3 slices smoked salmon cut into bits

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill

½-1 tsp prepared horseradish, depending on your taste

¼ c whipped cream cheese, crème fraiche or sour cream

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

Boil the eggs 10-12 minutes. Drain, cool and carefully peel. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the yolks. Put them in a food processor, chopper, blender or mixing bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT for a bit of the dill or chives held out for garnish. Process into a smooth pate/puree.

Fill the egg whites with the pate and cover the white edges entirely so nothing shows but the filling. Arrange the eggs on a serving platter and garnish with a sprinkle of chives or dill. For color intersperse cherry tomatoes or olives or both.

Portuguese Migas 
Migas means crumbs in Portuguese, so this is eggs dressing up yesterday's bread reduced to crumbs and flavored with bits of meat. It's also a Spanish breakfast dish. In this version the eggs are sunnyside up.

Serves 4

1 medium loaf of stale white bread

 scant 1/2 good quality olive oil

4 garlic cloves, crushed with the skin on

½ lb morcilla, chorizo or pancetta, cubed

4 shallots, finely chopped

2 tsp smoked paprika

A small bunch of parsley, chopped

1/3 c raisins, soaked (either overnight or 2-3 hours before) in sherry

1 oz hazelnuts, toasted and crushed

2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted

8 extra large eggs

Salt and black pepper

Remove the bread crusts and put the bread into a food processor. Blend into thick crumbs.

Warm the olive oil in a sauté pan over a medium/low heat. Add the garlic and cook until it's soft and golden. Add the meat. After 2 minutes, when its fat is released, stir in the bread and continually toss 3 minutes over a low heat. Add the shallots and smoked paprika. Add the chopped parsley, raisins, hazelnuts and pine nuts and toss again.

Cook just until everything looks crispy, 2-5 min.

Divide the mixture on four plates.

Add oil to the pan and fry the eggs until the white edges get crispy. Carefully place two on top of each plate. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.