I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket
At this time of year, we’re all thinking about eggs. How many eggs will the kids need to dye for the big egg hunt? What kind of baked egg dish can I bring to Easter brunch? Will the Easter bunny be bringing my family any chocolate covered peanut butter eggs this year? And furthermore, who decided that this fabled bunny lays eggs like a bird – that’s just crazy!
Eggs are the emblems of springtime holidays and rituals. So much so that the eggs that now stand for Easter actually predate this Christian holiday, as an ancient symbol of fertility, together with the frequently reproducing rabbit. Germans who settled in the Pennsylvania Dutch region brought the legend of the Easter Bunny laying eggs to the United States in the seventeenth century, and thus followed, the egg hunt. All of the candy and treats that fill decorated Easter baskets came along later as springtime traditions spread throughout the country.
The Easter Egg Hunt is such an ingrained rite of spring that I have even lately heard of dog park-sponsored egg hunts for our canine pals. I cannot imagine how much enjoyment my own food loving furry friend family member would get out of her very own egg hunt, although she has yet to attend one. But for us humans, they sure are fun too. And eggs make a versatile cooking ingredient that is nutrition packed, perfect when you come in from your Easter morning’s activities. There are literally hundreds of ways to cook them.
While eggs are a breakfast essential, and you couldn’t make lots of sweets such as homemade ice cream and many baked goods without them, they also make a star ingredient in plenty of savory dishes. Plus eggs based dishes such as quiche or strata travel so well. They really are the perfect thing to take along to Easter brunch or dinner.
One of my favorite quick meals is to sauté any veggies I have on hand such as onions, red peppers, zucchini, and plum tomatoes, then make holes where I crack a couple of eggs into the pan. Grate a little Parmesan cheese over the top and broil for a couple minutes, serve with some toast, and it’s good to go for an easy one dish supper. It’s based on an Italian peasant dish called Eggs in Purgatory, (Uova in Purgatorio) a colorful name for a colorful dish, in which the light colored eggs are “trapped” in a sea of spicy red tomato sauce and topped with fresh green herbs.
You can take this simple idea and make it into a delicious baked egg potluck dish. Just increase all the proportions to a casserole size and cook in an easy to transport braising dish. (a low sided dutch oven)
Or try making a fresh asparagus and egg flan, combining two springtime ingredients in one. Recently we grabbed a quick lunch from our local grocery store, and the flan from their hot vegetarian bar was a huge winner with my normally picky two-year-old son. So Asparagus Flan will definitely make an appearance on our Easter table.
Flan is an egg dish cooked in a hot water bath, and you can either prepare it in individual sized ramekins, or bake in an eight inch cake dish and slice into wedges like quiche. It’s a delicate dish, perfect for springtime. Happy Easter!
Made with black pepper, olive oil, asparagus, seasoned croutons, eggs, heavy cream, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Serves/Makes: 8
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 pound asparagus, trimmed into one inch pieces
- 1 cup seasoned croutons
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Place oven rack in middle of oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.
Heat olive oil in large saute pan over medium high. Cook asparagus 2-4 minutes, until lightly cooked.
Butter or spray with nonstick spray individual ramekins or one 8-inch cake pan. Spoon asparagus into the bottom of the dishes, dividing evenly. Top with croutons.
Whisk together eggs, heavy cream, cheese, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Top ramekins or cake pan evenly with custard and transfer to a large baking dish. Place baking dish in oven and pour enough hot water in to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins or cake pans.
Bake until flan is set, and knife inserted one inch comes out clean, about 35 minutes for individual ramekins and 50 minutes to 1 hour for cake pan. Cool about 10 minutes, run knife around outside edge of each flan, cover with serving dish and invert to serve.
Made with Parmesan cheese, Italian bread, eggs, olive oil, onion, tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh parsley, salt and freshly ground black pepper
Serves/Makes: 4
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 small onion, minced
- 2 1/2 pounds tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 2 tablespoons torn fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 large eggs
- 4 slices Italian bread, 1/2-inch thick
- olive oil
- 6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes to the skillet and bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir in the basil, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Turn the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring frequently, until the tomato mixture is thick and almost no liquid remains in the pan, about 15 minutes. If desired, the recipe can be cooled and refrigerated before serving for up to 24 hours at this point).
Create indentations in the tomato mixture with a large spoon spaced evenly apart for each egg. Carefully break one egg into each indentation. Sprinkle the eggs with salt and pepper.
Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Let the eggs cook until softly set, about 6 minutes.
Preheat the oven broiler.
Brush both sides of the bread slices with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet under the broiler and cook, turning the bread as needed, until browned on both sides.
Place the toasted bread slices in shallow bowls. Top each with an egg and sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
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