Recipe for cooking with eggs

– Ellie Shortt photography by Lia Crowe

Vulnerability. Fertility. new life. new beginning. spring. Pinned. When you imagine an egg, what do you think of? What egg did you paint? Is it still cracked in the shell? Raw or cooked?

I think of my childhood. I remember comforting omelets with salad or scrambled eggs on toast-they appear more often in our dinner rotations than breakfast routines. I saw the Passover family feast spread, and after waiting so eagerly for those precious first dishes, my teeth fell into a satisfying first bite of hard-boiled eggs. I was transported to the kitchen table of my friend’s house to make pysanka-carefully poke a hole in the bottom of the shell, cheek sore when blowing the internal organs, and carefully waxed, dipped in dye, wiped and repeated with patience and pride, I Completed my exquisite masterpiece. I heard the catchy jingle of those energetic "Get Cracking" ads from the 1980s.

There seems to be endless connections with eggs, and there are also endless things related to them. Will it be part of the cake? What are the ingredients in salad dressings or sauces? Or are some Bacon's overly easy partners? Sweet, salty, bright or plain, there is a world full of possibilities, and everything starts with a humble egg.

But these perfectly packaged gifts of nature are by no means basic. At the beginning of any important appreciative foundation is the art of understanding. For many of us, we crack, stir, fry, and boil without much awareness of the ingredients of this cooking staple, so to speak. The "staple food" of life is as we know it-because there is no life without eggs, eggs, seeds, and the inner core of all things.

Let's start with the shell. The eggshell is almost entirely made of calcium carbonate crystals. Surprisingly, it is a semi-permeable membrane, which means that air and moisture can pass through its pores. However, the outer shell also has a thin outermost coating called the flower or cuticle, which miraculously helps block bacteria and dust.

Although the egg shell is fragile, it has a certain degree of elasticity. When squeezed from top to bottom, it is almost unbreakable, but it can be opened with a light tap to reveal the contents. This viscous core is supported by the inner and outer membranes, which can further protect against bacterial invasion. Egg white, also called egg white, contains about 40 different types of protein, many of which are difficult to find under this bioavailability.

Then there is the tie-an opaque egg white rope that fixes the yolk in the center of the egg like a small anchor and connects the outer shell of the yolk to the membrane lining the egg shell. Finally, we arrived at the egg yolk, which is the most nutritious part, in my opinion, the most delicious part of the precious packaging.

The yolk is held together by the yolk membrane. Compared with the egg white, the yolk contains less water and more protein, some fat, and most of the vitamins and minerals of eggs. These include iron, vitamin A, vitamin D, phosphorus, calcium, thiamine, and riboflavin. Egg yolk is also a source of lecithin, which is an effective emulsifier, so your body can better absorb the fat in it. Depending on the feed and breed of the hen, the color ranges from light yellow to gorgeous deep orange. Ideally, we want our barnyard birds to be free and talkative on the farm, eating a variety of delicious foods, including bugs, etc. (no-chickens should not only be vegetarian), which not only provides a happier life for our poultry Friends provide more delicious and nutritious eggs.

Of course, this is all about the most commonly consumed eggs in our Western culinary paradigm, but there are many different eggs to explore, including duck, quail, and ostrich, all of which have unique flavors and nutrients. For example, duck eggs are particularly rich and are excellent in fresh pasta recipes, for example. Pickled quail eggs are a lovely snack. Ostrich eggs are hard to buy and expensive. They are usually eaten by themselves, boiled for an hour (yes, an hour), chipped and seasoned, and then provide the most indulgent dipping pool for your bread. But many adventurous chefs will try to use these huge luxury capsules to make big omelets and stir-fries.

From a nutritional point of view, not all eggs are created equal. Duck eggs tend to contain more nutrients than eggs, including folic acid, iron, and vitamin B12 (up to 168% or more of the recommended daily dose of B12). The weight of quail eggs contains more fat and protein than eggs, twice as much iron and riboflavin, about one-third more vitamin B12, but less choline. Ostrich eggs have higher magnesium and iron content than eggs, but have less vitamin E and vitamin A.

One of the most versatile and adaptable, but underestimated applications of boiled eggs may be perfect execution and timed boiling. There are as many methods and opinions on this issue as the size and color of eggs, but I personally insist on the simple method, which is to put the eggs in boiling water within the prescribed time and then carefully transfer them to an ice bath for a pair A couple of minutes before using peeling (or split in half like a soft boil). Slotted spoons, small sieves, or long-handled wire baskets do help to safely get in and out of water, but other than that, all you need is a pot, a timer, and your eggs.

Where you take out the boiled eggs is up to you! For the half-cooked, I really like the quaint and refined minimalism of salt, pepper and some toast sticks. The medium size is great on a vegetable bed. There is nothing better than a boiled egg salad with biscuits or sandwiched between two slices of rustic bread.

No matter where your egg adventure takes you, maybe take a moment to stop and admire the (not so) humble egg's structural brilliance, nutrient density, gorgeous visual effects, rich flavor and cooking possibilities.

Preparation time: 20-30 minutes (including cooking and boiling time)

There is nothing more appropriate than starting a new day with a touch of sunshine, and this energetic dish will surely make you start from scratch. Satiety and maintenance, this nutritious bowl of nutrient-rich food keeps me full for several hours. Prepare all the raw materials in advance to speed up the assembly process in the morning routine work.

1 cup roasted sweet potato chunks (see instructions below)

2 half-boiled eggs, peeled and cut in half

4 slices of bacon, cooked to your liking

½ cup cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half

1 cup cucumber, peeled, cored, and sliced ​​(if it is a field cucumber, you only need to peel and core)

1 cup chopped purple cabbage (I like to use mandolin to make it finer)

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice (or more lemon juice)

1⁄3 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped

Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (I made about ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper)

For roasted yam or sweet potatoes...

Preheat the oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into small cubes. In a medium mixing bowl, mix the sweet potato cubes with a drop of olive oil, a pinch of sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

Spread the cubes evenly on the baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes until the fork is soft. Set aside to cool.

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until they are completely mixed (you can also put these ingredients in a small mixer and mix for a few seconds until they are completely mixed).

In two separate dishes, separate the vegetable and sweet potato mixture to create a base for each bowl. Place the other ingredients evenly on the top of each base, drizzle the required amount of seasoning, sprinkle a bit of hemp, and enjoy!

Egg salad with fresh herbs and diced mustard

Preparation time: 15 minutes (including boiling time)

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

Sea salt and fresh pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, mash and stir to make them completely blend together, enjoy!

It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

How to cook eggs

Although there are many different opinions and methods, I found this simple method to be efficient and effective, and most importantly, easy to strip! Although it is best to enjoy the soft boil that has just been cooked in water so that it is still warm and lovely, medium and hard-boiled eggs are a good advance choice and should be kept in the refrigerator for a few days.

Boil a pot of water over medium-high heat. Using a slotted spoon or a small sieve with a handle, carefully put the eggs into the boiling water one at a time. Set the required time (soft 3-4 minutes, medium 6-7 minutes, hard 10-12 minutes), adjust the heat to maintain a gentle boiling. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water and cool to slightly hot, about 2 minutes.

Starting from the wider end, which usually contains air pockets, gently break all the eggs and peel them.

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