EGGcellent recipes
Backyard poultry is hot all across the country, and that means EGGS! Here are cool ways to use them.
When my daughter's backyard hens started laying eggs, she was so excited to check the nest boxes every day. The first thing I noticed when I started cooking with the home-raised eggs was their darker yellow yolks and more viscous whites. This is why Great Grandma's pudding was so rich!
We had eggs everywhere. So for my son's graduation party that year, I made 200 deviled eggs. They didn't last long.
Here are a few fun egg recipes you can try. If you have your own hens, all the better!
Diane Okerson, Yorba Linda, California
Prep: 30 minutes
7 hard-cooked eggs
3 tablespoons salad dressing or mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill weed
1 clove garlic, minced
5 dashes bottled hot pepper sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 cups torn Boston or Bibb lettuce
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved, if desired
1 medium red sweet pepper, chopped
4 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and crumbled
3 green onions, sliced
1 recipe Dill Vinaigrette
Step 1: Remove shells and halve hard-cooked eggs lengthwise; remove yolks. Set aside whites. Place yolks in a small bowl; mash with a fork. Add salad dressing, dill weed, garlic, hot pepper sauce, and salt. Spoon yolk mixture into egg white halves. Set aside.
Step 2: On a large serving platter arrange lettuce, tomatoes, sweet pepper, bacon, and green onions. Arrange stuffed eggs on greens, vegetables, and bacon. Drizzle with Dill Vinaigrette. Makes 6 servings.
Dill Vinaigrette: In a screw-top jar combine 1/3 cup olive oil; 2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill weed; 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1/4 teaspoon salt; and 1/4 teaspoon bottled hot pepper sauce. Cover and shake well.
Test Kitchen Tip
To hard-cook eggs place them in a single layer (do not stack) in a large saucepan. Add cold water to cover eggs by at least 1 inch. Bring water to rapid boiling over high heat. Remove from heat, cover; let stand 15 minutes (18 minutes for extra-large eggs); drain. Run cold water over eggs or place them in ice water until cool enough to handle; drain. To peel, gently tap egg on countertop, then roll between the palms of your hands. Peel off shell beginning at the large end.
Nutrition facts per serving: 269 calories, 22 g total fat (4 g saturated fat), 254 mg cholesterol, 427 mg sodium, 8 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, 11 g protein.
You can cook and chill the beans and potatoes for this French salad a day before serving.
Prep: 35 minutes Chill: 2 to 24 hours
8 ounces fresh green beans
12 ounces tiny new potatoes, scrubbed and sliced
1 recipe Nicoise Dressing
Boston or Bibb lettuce leaves
11/2 cups flaked cooked tuna or salmon (8 ounces) or one 9 1/4-ounce can chunk white tuna (water packed), drained and broken into chunks
2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
1/2 cup pitted ripe olives (optional)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
4 anchovy fillets, drained, rinsed, and patted dry (optional)
Fresh tarragon (optional)
Step 1: Wash green beans; remove ends and strings. In a large saucepan cook green beans and potatoes, covered, in a small amount of lightly salted boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes or just until tender. Drain; place vegetables in a medium bowl. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours.
Step 2: Prepare Nicoise Dressing. To serve, line 4 salad plates with lettuce leaves. Arrange chilled vegetables, tuna, tomatoes, eggs, and, if desired, olives on the lettuce-lined plates. Sprinkle each serving with green onions. If desired, top each salad with an anchovy fillet and garnish with tarragon. Shake dressing; drizzle over each salad. Makes 4 main-dish servings.
Nicoise Dressing: In a screw-top jar combine 1/4 cup olive or salad oil; 1/4 cup white wine vinegar or white vinegar; 1 teaspoon honey; 1 teaspoon snipped fresh tarragon or 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon, crushed; 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard; 1/4 teaspoon salt; and a dash of black pepper. Cover and shake well. Makes about 1/2 cup.
Nutrition facts per serving: 348 calories, 17 g total fat (3 g saturated fat), 139 mg cholesterol, 228 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrates, 4 g dietary fiber, 24 g protein.
