Devilishly Good Deviled Eggs

I know, I know, deviled eggs, who doesn’t do them? It’s one of those old standbys that illicit no oohs and aahs from anyone. Pedestrian, old fashioned, *gasp* shall I say, too too Midwestern and working class?

Ah, but you have not had these.

This recipe takes deviled eggs to a whole ‘nother level. It is sublime. It is the stuff of dreams.

Well, you get the idea.

Really it’s good. And for all of you who hate deviled eggs mostly because you hate peeling eggs, I have a way of doing that that actually works. I mean it. It works.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 dozen eggs, hard boiled and peeled, and sliced lengthwise
• between 1/3 -1/2 c of mayonnaise (homemade would be excellent here)
• 3 -4 tbsp of a good mustard. Think of Dijon or a spicy brown, but again a good mustard, i.e., not yellow.
• 1 heaping tsp of horseradish
• 1 large jalapeño, roasted, peeled and seeded and then minced. (3-4 tsp) in all.
• a couple of tbsp of chopped fresh  parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• candied bacon

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Once the boil starts, time for 13 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and pour off the water, replacing with cold water.
3. Take a large bowl, fill with about 4 cups of ice. Place eggs in the ice bath and leave until ice has melted.
4. Place the now cold water with eggs in the fridge until ready to peel. (this can be an hour to days)
5. Crack eggs and the shells pretty much come off in two or three pieces. This works for like almost every egg. Maybe one will give me trouble.
6. Depending on the size of the yolks, add the rest of the ingredients together in amounts that give the right texture. Not too dry, but not sloppy. Obviously start with the lower amounts. The jalapeño amount is up to you.
7. Spoon or pipe into the egg shells.
8. Add a piece or two of the bacon on top.

SERVES: 24 halves

NOTES: How elegant these are depends on the quality of ingredients of course. Do swap out jalapeños for Poblanos or Hatch if you wish. Also, it’s easy to do half a dozen eggs and adjust the ingredients accordingly.

SOURCE: Modified slightly from Rufus’ Food and Spirit Guide

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Mexicali Hash

This is simply a superb Sunday brunch.

But make it any time.

Because it’s grand.

Eat it in a traditional way, or do it the Mexican way, wrapped in a tortilla and sprinkled with salsa or pico de gallo and slices of avocado.

Either way, it fills the bill.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 pounds russet or Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 3/4- to 1/2-inch dice (see note above)
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• Kosher salt
• 4 ounces Spanish chorizo, diced (If you can’t get Spanish Chorizo, then you can substitute with bacon, other sausage, ham, etc)
  
• 1/4 cup vegetable, canola, or olive oil, divided, plus more as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 6 scallions, white and light green parts cut into 1-inch lengths, greens sliced and reserved separately
• 2 poblano or Anaheim (Hatch)  peppers,  charred, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 small avocado diced
• 1/2 cup salsa or pico de gallo for serving (optional)
• 12 warm corn tortillas for serving (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

 

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with 2 quarts cold water. Add vinegar and 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until barely tender, about 5 minutes after coming to a boil. Drain potatoes in a colander and let drain for 2 minutes.

• Meanwhile, place chorizo chunks in a cast iron skillet and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until chorizo is crisp on all sides and fat has rendered out, about 10 minutes total. Remove chorizo with a slotted spoon to a large bowl, leaving fat in skillet. Set chorizo aside.

•  When potatoes are drained, add 3 tablespoons oil to skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add drained potatoes and cook, stirring and tossing occasionally, until potatoes are deep brown and crisp on all sides, about 20 minutes total. Add cumin and paprika and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer potatoes to bowl with chorizo and set aside.
•  Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet and heat over high heat until shimmering. Add scallion whites and light greens and poblano and cook, stirring occasionally, until charred, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper then transfer to bowl with potatoes and chorizo. Toss contents of bowl and return to skillet. Make 4 wells in potato mixture.

•  Carefully break 1 egg into a small bowl and slide into a fine mesh strainer over the sink. Swirl egg very gently until excess loose white drains away. Carefully add to one of the cavities in the skillet. Repeat with remaining three eggs.

• Drizzly eggs with a few drops of oil, season with salt and pepper, and transfer to oven. Cook until whites are barely set but yolks are still runny, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, garnish with sliced scallion greens, chopped cilantro, and avocado. Serve immediately with salsa and tortillas.

   

  SERVES: 4

  NOTES: You can skip the swirling of the egg in a strainer and just crack directly over the hash with no alteration of taste, and very little of the “look”.

  SOURCE: adapted from Serious Eats

 

South of the Border Scrambled Eggs (Migas)

I’m not a serious breakfast person.

I tend to like donuts. Bad stuff.

So when I eat “breakfast” it’s usually more like at noon.

And this is a Mexican dish that is well, a basic in Mexico.  It is called Migas.

The basics are tortillas and onions and eggs.

The rest is whatever makes you tick, tock. I’ll give you a list of add ons.

Only two requirements: use real tortillas (NO bought chips) and do try a bit of heat, since it ain’t Mexican if it doesn’t have a chile in it.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 corn tortillas, torn up into pieces
• 1/4 c oil (canola is my favorite)
• 1 Serrano chili, minced (or jalapeño or any that you like, seeded or not)
• 1/3 c diced onions (can use spring onions or regular)
• 2 eggs

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat up the oil, and then add the tortilla chips. Stirring frequently, cook until they have crisped up. Remove and pour off most of the oil.
2. Add the onions and chile to the pan and saute until softened. Add the eggs and stir until cooked, adding the tortilla pieces back in at the end, and letting it sit for a couple of minutes to soften them a bit.

That’s it.

You can add: diced tomato, sweet pepper, cheese of any sort, mushrooms. You get the idea. You can serve with salsa or refried beans or nothing at all. It can be eaten as a real breakfast or as a lovely brunch. Think of it as an omelet and have fun. You can omit the chile if you wish, but gosh, why would you not want to start the day off with a bang? (The whole thing is  sometimes folded up in a warmed flour tortilla)

Serves: 1