The 'egg-ceptional' egg
With the dark news and disturbing images bombarding us daily, why are we even thinking of cooking? Because cooking brings us together for a few moments and it allows us to celebrate humanity rather than strive to extinguish it.
Easter celebrations are around the corner. For every Christian, it represents the resurrection of Jesus, and the Easter Bunny will hide many brightly colored eggs to be hunted by little ones.
There’s no egg-saggeration that we’re still debating what came first, the chicken or the egg. Even Charles Chickens couldn’t seem to come up with an answer in “Great Egg-Spectations”.
We’re staying sunny side up when we say that eggs are all they’re cracked up to be and consumed almost daily practically in every household. Seriously, eggs are considered one of nature’s most perfect creations and should be celebrated as such. They’re egg-exeptional sources of protein and amino acids and, according to the FDA, the average American eats 19 pounds of eggs a year.
Some egg-ceptional lesser-known egg facts
The yolk has the same protein as the white and although clinical studies are still underway, eating eggs could raise your “good cholesterol” so you can eat an egg a day.
In the 1950s, the FDA banned the use of hormones in poultry, so eggs will always be hormone-free.
Egg color doesn’t provide additional nutritional value, although brown eggs cost more than white. Brown-laying hens are larger and therefore eat more. Hence, they’re more expensive to maintain.
The white stringy thing you get when you crack an egg denotes a fresh egg. It’s called chalazae and that’s the membranes that join the egg to the shell.
It takes between 24 to 26 hours for an egg to develop. One hen equals five to seven eggs a week.
American eggs must be refrigerated to prevent “blooming” and creating contamination.
Wash eggs prior to using — the exterior of the shell still has excrement and washing prevents further bacterial impurities.
Test freshness by submerging eggs in a water glass — if it floats it’s old; if it sinks to the bottom, it’s fresh.
Free range or cage free only means that hens are in a larger caged environment.
Chef’s hats have pleats to equal the many ways you can cook an egg.
Harriet, a United Kingdom hen, laid the largest egg in 2010 measuring almost 10 inches in diameter.
Fried, poached, boiled or baked, everyone is totally down with eggs. They’re not just a breakfast mainstay but enjoyed as a lunch staple and often prepared as a full meal for dinner..
Spanish Flamenco Eggs
This is Spain on a plate. Characteristically deriving from Seville, but served all over the Iberian Peninsula, it’s one of Spain’s quintessential dishes
2 eggs
1-2 cups of tomato sauce
½ cup of thawed, cooked peas
2 TBSP olive oil
1 small onion – chopped
2 garlic cloves – minced
1 15 oz. can of tomatoes or 1 jar of tomato sauce
Pinch of sugar/salt/pepper
12 TSP Spanish smoked paprika
1 jar of roasted red bell peppers – sliced into strips
Bread slices
Preheat oven — 400F
Add chopped onions to a pan, add a pinch of salt and sauté for a few minutes, add garlic. Add jarred sauce or canned tomatoes. Cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add paprika, sugar, salt or pepper. Cook low for 10 minutes. Place the tomato sauce in a small cast-iron skillet or earthenware dish. Crack two eggs on top of tomato sauce. Top with chopped chorizo, peas, and pimento slices.
Bake until the whites are cooked but the yolks are still runny — about 12 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with a bread.
