The Ordinary-Extraordinary Egg
By Sidonie Maroon , The Food Co-op’s Culinary Educator , abluedotkitchen
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Recipes included:
Kuki-ye Sabzi
Louinaise Sauce
Padang-Style Eggs
Pickled Pub Eggs
I took eggs for granted until we kept chickens. We purchased our first flock in 2003, when we lived off the grid on the Eaglemount. My young son and I ordered from the McMurray Hatchery, pouring over the catalog’s pictures and descriptions. We bought a mix of breeds, from Orpingtons to Wyandottes with far too many roosters.
When the chicks had their first true feathers, we’d pull up lawn chairs and cozy up for an hour of chicken antics and lessons in bird behavior. Egg laying squawks and shrill clucks became everyday sounds as the flock became part of our lives. I learned how to ease an egg from under a hen and many other subtle skills.
One spring day, while the chickens pecked and scratched in the garden, a hungry bobcat stole in and killed a hen. We heard the panic and came running. The bird was in her mouth, when my 10-year-old, in a rage to save his beloved chickens, hit her in the rump with an upturned sunflower root. She dropped her kill; I flapped my arms, whooping her farther away, while my son locked up the flock.
We brought the hen into the kitchen and learned some anatomy while making chicken stew. This bird was not the familiar breast and thighs wrapped in plastic that I’d cooked all my life.
We were newbies as we plucked and gutted. As I cleaned, I came across pearlescent orbs in rainbow shades lined up from snail to quail egg size. They shimmered like fish roe, and I realized they were her developing eggs. Why hadn’t I ever considered this? Where did I imagine her daily egg came from? She was a miracle, and I have never taken an egg for granted since.
Eggs are a gift of nature containing the highest biological value (gold standard) for protein and packed with vitamins and minerals. I locally source the best eggs with deep orange yolks.
Eggs are versatile, we can boil, poach, steam, bake, fry, devil or pickle them. I like to use them as a binder for other ingredients. Many famous egg recipes use this technique. I’ve listed a few with ingredient ideas so you can create your own dishes.
A World of Eggs To Try
The French quiche
Spanish tortilla
Persian kuku
Italian frittata
Korean gyeran mari
Japanese omurice
Favorite savory egg combinations
1. dill, parsley, caraway, salmon, lemon, horseradish, cream cheese
2. new potatoes, peas, tarragon, mustard, butter, creme fraiche
3. chanterelles, butter, spinach, salt, black pepper, lemon
4. basil, tomato, parmesan, mozzarella
5. toasted sesame oil, tamari, rice vinegar, red chili powder, Asian greens
Herbs
Basil, dill, parsley, tarragon, thyme, chives, cilantro, fennel
Spices
Black pepper, mustard, horseradish, nutmeg, curry, cumin, coriander, caraway
Fats
Toasted sesame oil, olive oil, butter
Meats
Bacon, sausage, salmon, smoked fish, oysters, shrimp, anchovies
Dairy
Parmesan, mozzarella, feta, gruyere, havarti, cream cheese, chevre, creme fraiche, sour cream, cream.
Vegetables
Leeks, onions, garlic, shallots, potatoes, spinach, Asian greens, nettles, chickweed, mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes
Nuts and Seeds
Walnuts, sesame seeds
Seasonings
Flaked sea salt, soy sauce, miso, lemons, rice vinegar, kimchi
Our photos are meant to inspire and do not always reflect the exact recipes. Today’s photo recipe includes kale. Have fun experimenting!
Salmon and Parsley Mini Timbales
makes 35
A timbale is the correct name for a crustless quiche. These tasty timbales are the perfect protein packed snacks, appetizers, or brunch dish. I’ve used Baltic flavors, but they are adaptable to any of the ingredients mentioned in the article.
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
6 large eggs
½ cup cream cheese
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons dehydrated onion flakes
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish sauce
Salt and Spices
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
½ teaspoon caraway seed
1 teaspoon dill seed
Additions
6 ounces of salmon, I used canned
½ cup chopped parsley
Directions
1. Assemble all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line two mini muffin tins with baking cups. Grind salt and spices together and set aside.
2. Using a food processor, blend the wet ingredients together with the spices. Add the salmon and chopped parsley, and pulse four times.
3. Fill each baking cup with slightly less than 2 tablespoons of the mix.
4. Bake for 12 minutes in a preheated oven per batch.
5. Serve warm or cold. They will keep refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Kuku-ye Sabzi
Makes One 9- inch round Kuku
Herb kuku is a traditional Nowruz (Iranian New Year) dish celebrated at the Spring Equinox. The green of the herbs symbolizes rebirth, while eggs represent fertility for the year to come.
Ingredients
1/3 cup dried chopped cranberries
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
4 tablespoons butter or ghee plus 1 tablespoons for pie plate
1 large onion cut into a small dice
6 large eggs
2 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
1 cup baby spinach
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup finely chopped fresh dill
Spices and dry ingredients
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon toasted and freshly ground cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seeds
Seeds from 1 green cardamom pod
6 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon potato starch
1 tablespoon freshly ground flax meal
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) Preheat skillet on stove top for sautéing onions, put 1 tablespoons of butter in 9-inch pie plate and let heat in oven
2. In the preheated oven, toast chopped walnuts and dried cranberries separately from each other on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, for approximately 5 to 6 minutes. set aside
3. Toast cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant, then measure and grind in a spice grinder with all other dry ingredients set aside
4. Heat 4 tablespoons butter or ghee in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions until lightly golden, allow to cool. Chop all herbs and garlic while onions are cooking and set aside
5. Break eggs into a large mixing bowl. Add dry ingredients and spices and beat in with a fork. Add garlic spinach, herbs, walnuts and sautéed onions. Fold in gently with a spoon do not overmix.
6. Put mixture into heated buttered baking dish and bake uncovered in preheated oven for 25-28 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife cover with a plate and invert onto the plate, Garnish with the chopped cranberries
8. Cut the kuku into small pieces and serve hot or cold with lavish bread and yogurt.
Nush-e Jan!
May you be nourished
Louinaise Sauce
makes 1 cup
Wonderful with poached eggs!
Ingredients
2 egg yolks
½ cup melted unsalted cultured butter
½ cup avocado oil
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon each caraway and dill seed, ground together
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon Maldon flake salt
pinch of cayenne
In a food processor: add all the ingredients, except the butter/oil, and pulse. Combine the oil and melted butter together in a liquid measuring cup. In a continuous thin stream, pour them slowly through the food processor’s feed tube, while the machine runs. The sauce will thicken before the last of the oil/butter is added, but continue pouring until all of the oil/butter’s used. The sauce will resemble mayonnaise and is delicious, but refrigerated, it becomes semi solid and spreadable.
Padang Style Eggs
The rich sauce for these Indonesian eggs is aromatic and bright yellow. The trick is to cook the sauce and eggs separately. Add the eggs to the sauce before serving allowing them to warm through.
Ingredients
8 eggs, soft boiled for 6 minutes
14 fl oz can coconut milk
1 lemongrass stick, bruised and tied in a knot
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
Bumbu Flavor Paste
1 bunch scallions, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 inches ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 inch turmeric, peeled and roughly chopped
½ teaspoon red chili powder
Directions
1) Bring eggs up to a boil in cold water. Turn the heat off and time for 6 minutes. Run under cold water and peel. The yolks should be firm but creamy.
2) Grind the ingredients for the bumbu in a high-speed blender. Adding a little of the coconut milk to help the blades turn.
3) Cook the bumbu until its raw flavours have mellowed. Add the remaining coconut milk, lemongrass and salt. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the tamarind paste and taste correcting the seasoning as needed.
4) When ready to serve, warm the sauce, then add the eggs to heat through gently.
Pickled Pub Eggs
Makes 6 -12 eggs
A tangy spiced pickled egg? They are quite good and inspired by the 18th century practice of making pickles to preserve excess eggs. They’re quick pickles, not lacto fermented so I recommend you refrigerate them. They need to pickle for at least 3 days, preferably a week before the flavors penetrate the eggs. Serve quartered. Perfect as a hors d’oeuvre, a picnic offering or with a cold beer and good music.
6 poached eggs or up to 1 dozen
Brine
1 ½ cups hot water
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Maldon flake salt or coarse sea salt
Spices
5 cloves garlic smashed
4 slices fresh turmeric or ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dill seed
4 allspice berries
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon white peppercorns
1 teaspoon caraway seed
1 teaspoon coriander seed
Make the brine by mixing the water, vinegar and salt together in a flat, lidded quart storage container. Add the spices to the brine. Submerge the poached eggs in the brine and refrigerate, allowing the eggs to pickle for at least three day; preferably a week before eating. Serve quartered.
