Mother’s “Italian” Eggs

Welcome to Foodie Fridays!

From the book My Bombay Kitchen by Niloufer Ichaporia King:

“Italian eggs are as Italian as the French dressing you buy in supermarkets in France.”

So basically, these don’t actually capture the taste of what you might expect an Italian egg to taste like. That is, if you even had an expectation in the first place. Either way I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with this unique recipe.

Last weekend, my best birthday present, other than my new camera, was spending the day with my best friend, Diana, whom I hadn’t seen in two years. We sat at the table in her mother’s dining room, deviling these eggs, filling sandwiches and cutting off crusts for her mom’s 83rd birthday celebration. Even though it was work to some extent, it felt like an appropriate way for two foodies to spend their time together, chatting, eating, me sampling her homemade fudge, chocolate-dipped nougat rolled in toasted pecans and pretty sugar cookies. Mm. It was a delightful afternoon.

No one had made this recipe before this occasion, but our hopes were high. What a delicious relief to experiment with such success. They were ravishing. Scrumptious. After making 18 and eating about 4 of them between us (just tasting!) we decided that more must be made. The guests would be gobbling these up in no time.

These would be perfect for a potluck or luncheon. I made the egg-salad version of these a couple days ago for my daycare kids and had 50% success. One child didn’t like “the green things” and the other two didn’t like eggs in general. I didn’t necessarily have the perfect sample cohort but you might want to ensure that most of the people eating these are grown-ups. But then stand back and watch them disappear – fast!

Mother’s “Italian” Eggs

6 large eggs

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

2 Tbsp butter, room temperature

2 (or more) green chilies, finely chopped (we used only 1 because we didn’t want to make them too spicy and it was fine)

1 Tbsp (or more) lime juice

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (you’ll think it’s a lot but it’s not)

1 Tbsp (or more) honey

salt and pepper to taste

Whole small cilantro leaves or diagonally cut slivers of fresh red or green chilies, for garnish.

Directions:

Place eggs in a saucepan of cold water and heat to boil. Turn the heat to a simmer and cook for 12 minutes. The yolks need to be firm. Plunge the eggs into cold water until cool enough to handle, and peel. Halve them lengthwise. If you see any thin spots in the white, cut the egg so the thin spot is on the bottom. You can reinforce it with a shaved patch from the thicker half.

Scoop out the yolks and set aside the whites. Mash and cream the yolks with the mayonnaise, butter, chilies, lime juice, chopped cilantro and the surprise ingredient, honey – at least 1 Tbsp but possibly more. Add salt to taste. You want the mixture to be assertive, so don’t be timid with the sweet, the sour, or the salt.

Mound the yolk mixture into the whites halves. Leave the surface rough, gently cross-hatched with the tines of a fork. Chill until the filling firms up, about 1-2 hours. Remove from the refrigerator about a half an hour before serving. At serving time, garnish each half with a single perfect cilantro leaflet or diagonally cut a sliver of fresh green or red chile.

“Italian” Egg Salad: Chop the hard-boiled eggs. Toss with all the ingredients except the butter; compensate with a little extra mayonnaise. Serve on a bed of lettuce and cucumber or as a first rate egg-salad sandwich with lots of lettuce and cucumber on whole wheat or sourdough bread. To make sturdy filling for crust-less sandwiches, leave in the butter and refrigerate the mixture until it is firm.

Notes: The quantities are a starting point. Please use your judgement when it comes to heat. If you don’t want the filling hot, start with half a chile and take the seeds out before you chop it. Do suspend any belief about the oney. Its presence is magical. You don’t want to use a dark, medicinal honey. Stick with one in the light-to-medium floral range.

Thanks again to one of my favorite bloggers, Tabatha of Tabulous, for photo shopping my Foodie Friday photo. I love it – yay!

This post is taking part in linkys and carnivals at Food Renegade, Designs by Gollum, Ann Kroeker, Momtrends, and The Nourishing Gourmet.

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1. Foodie Fridays: Summer Fresh Salsa
2. Foodie Fridays: Spicy Pinto Beans and Chipotle Chili Puree
3. Foodie Fridays: Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad
4. Foodie Fridays: Vegetable Pie with Grated Potato Crust
5. Foodie Fridays: Thai Peanut Sauce

Tags: deviled eggs, Foodie Fridays, recipe