Koo-Koo-Kacho…
Easter is right around the corner, so its egg salad time!
I just love having something pre-made and ready to go in the refrigerator. I wanted to share a recipe with you but couldn’t decide which one. Here are 3 of my egg-cellent favorites. (Hee-hee)
These recipes are unusual and can make a Tuesday lunch feel a little fancy. Add a glass of a minerally white wine and indulge.
Just a few notes about these recipes. I Grate my eggs on a box grater. I like the texture better; the eggs are creamier. Try it, you will never go back.
I resisted the whole pre-peeled egg thing, due to a bit of a stubborn traditionalist streak. When I finally gave them a try, well, I am not going back to hand peeling, if I can avoid it. So easy. They have lovely, Pasture raised organic peeled eggs, and they are great.
When I say “good Mayonnaise” I mean what you like. I like either a fresh made aioli or Best Foods. I have tried scores of different types and I have decided: if you are going to eat mayonnaise at all, eat “good mayonnaise.” If you like some safflower wallpaper paste, you do you.
Recipe
Curry Egg Salad
I love these flavors together, and I turn to this recipe usually when I want a yummy salad. I love this on a soft or a sweet wheat bread. I like the sweetness that the tarragon adds. (I am known to spread a thin layer of mango chutney over the bread before topping with a generous pile of curry salad and a bit of baby greens. It is also good over a bed of tomatoes, some baby greens, or on cucumber slices. I like it creamy, so if you add any of the celery or onion, keep it diced small.INGREDIENTS
Serves 4- 8 Eggs, hard boiled
- 1 ½ tbsp curry powder (your favorite Indian curry flavor)
- 2-3 tbsp fresh Tarragon, leaves only, chopped small
- ¼ cup good mayonnaise
- ½ tsp (or more to taste) sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon Juice
- 3 tbsp green onion, white parts minced (optional)
- 2 tbsp celery, minced
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium bowl, carefully grate eggs on large grater holes (watch your fingers!)
- In a smaller bowl, mix of all the rest of the ingredients together. Taste and tweak until it is just your thing. When it’s yummy, fold into the eggs. Set aside for at least an hour before devouring!
Recipe
Truffled Egg Salad With Asparagus
We love the earthy and decadent flavor of truffles, and this super easy salad will add a bit of the gourmet to your lunchtime. Serve as a sandwich or serve salad over the asparagus for a low-carb lunch. For an extra bit of richness, you can toast the bread in a pan with butter before assembling your sandwich.INGREDIENTS
Serves 4- 8 pieces sliced soft white bread, like Pullman
- 2 tbsp butter (optional)
- 8 oz asparagus spears, blanched or oven-roasted, room temperature or chilled
- 8 eggs, either raw or pre-boiled & peeled ¼ cup good mayonnaise
- 2 green onion or scallions, minced
- 2 tbsp capers, rinsed and chopped
- 2 tsp truffle oil, white or black
- ¼-½ tsp salt, truffle salt if you have it might be nice
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- To prepare the egg salad, simply grate the eggs up and toss into a mixing bowl. Add mayonnaise, truffle oil and capers, and fold everything in together. Salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least an hour.
You can fold in asparagus, first cutting into in 1” pieces, and serve.
OR
Make the toast if that’s the way you wanna go with this. Melt the butter in a frying pan over a med-high heat, until the butter is bubbling. Add the bread and fry in the butter until they are toasted in color on both sides. Drain on paper towels. - Layer egg salad on both pieces of toast or bread, make a neat layer of asparagus and top with other piece of bread.
Recipe
Minty Egg Salad With Cumin Scented Tomatoes
This recipe was inspired by a Paula Wolfert egg salad. The egg salad has no mayonnaise and is very fresh and light. The salad is minty, lemony, and salty. These flavors really need some time to marry. Supported by tomatoes and fried chickpeas dusted with a cumin infused sea salt, the salad is a decidedly Mediterranean delight. I feel like I am on vacation already!INGREDIENTS
Serves 4- 8 eggs, boiled 8 minutes, cooled and peeled
- 1 cup garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed and dried with paper towels
- 2 cups fresh tomatoes, sliced or chopped
- ½ cup green onions, finely chopped, white and green parts
- 1 cup mint leaves, finely chopped
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, separated
- 2 tsp plus 1 big pinch sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- Pita pockets (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- To make the egg salad, grate the eggs in a medium bowl. Fold together eggs, mint, onions, lemon zest, juice, crushed red pepper flakes, 2 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Refrigerate up to 4 hours.
- In a small frying pan heated over a medium heat, warm sea salt and cumin until the cumin odor opens up and then remove from heat immediately. Pour salt into a small bowl to cool.
- Sprinkle some cumin salt over garbanzo beans in the same frying pan used to infuse salt. Pour in the rest of olive oil and heat over medium heat. Carefully fry the garbanzo beans for 2-3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
- To assemble salad, divide tomatoes on each plate, sprinkle with cumin salt, top each tomato mound with ¼ of the beans, top with a mound of the egg salad.
OR
Fill a pita with egg salad, tomatoes, and garbanzo beans.