Pan Crisped Devilled Eggs on Baby Romaine

I love eggs.

Hardboiled eggs, fried eggs, omelets, scrambled eggs.

Ya’ll can keep all those half cooked runny egg things on top of pizza and pasta.

I had braces in the sixth grade.

I’m not going there again.

Now, devilled eggs?

I’d eat devilled eggs any time of the day.

They’ve been known to cure hangovers, hangnails and a broken heart.

Groom makes killer devilled eggs….green olives are the master touch. You know the kind of devilled eggs that when you’re eating them you don’t count the halves because you would probably take to your bed if you knew what a glutton you are.

This recipe adapted from The Splendid Table is a great twist on devilled eggs.

They’re elegant devilled eggs, sautéed in a bit of olive oil and pancetta drippings…and served on top of crispy baby romaine.

It’s a very grown up way to eat devilled eggs.

Which, if I haven’t mentioned lately, I love.


Pan Crisped Devilled Eggs with Pancetta on Baby Romaine
Adapted from The Splendid Table’s How to Cook Supper by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift

EGGS:
8 large eggs, hard boiled and peeled
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp minced onion
2-½ tightly packed tablespoons fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped
1-½-2 tbsp half and half
2 tsp Hellmann’s mayonnaise
1-½ tsp Champagne vinegar
A couple of good swirls extra virgin olive oil
2 good slices pancetta, diced
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

DRESSING:
Leftover egg stuffing
A couple of good swirls extra virgin olive oil
1 generous tsp Dijon mustard
2-½ tbsp half and half
2-½ tsp Champagne vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

SALAD:
4 generous handfuls baby romaine


Cut the eggs in half lengthwise and remove the yolks. Put in medium bowl and set the whites aside.
Add the mustard, garlic, onion, Italian parsley, milk, mayonnaise and vinegar to yolks. Mash into thick paste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pack mixture back into the egg whites so filling is even with surface of the egg not mounded. You are going to have extra…this becomes the dressing.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat a couple of good swirls of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced pancetta and cook until crisp. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels.

Add the eggs face down and cook until golden brown, takes about 5 minutes or so. Sprinkle the back sides of the eggs with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper as they cook.

While the eggs are sautéing, combine in a large bowl the leftover egg stuffing with all the dressing ingredients. Add the salad greens to the bowl and toss.

Serve the greens and place the eggs on top and sprinkle with the crispy pancetta.

Serves 4 ecstatic devilled egg lovers.

Click here for a printable recipe!

One Year Ago on Feeding Groom

Pan Crisped Devilled Eggs on Baby Romaine

Mesa Grill Barbecue Sauce and a Southern Salad Nicoise

I used to walk in the mornings.
Three and a half miles a day.
Crack of dawn.
It was great. Loved doing it. Quiet, neighborhood sleeping, great start to the day, right.

I’m now walking in the afternoons when I get home from work.
Still three and a half miles.
It’s not quiet.
The neighborhood is not sleeping.
It’s cooking.

Outside.

It’s sort of inspirational if you think about it.
Take the other evening.
Now that I think about it, I am not sure I walked on one of the streets because someone was grilling chicken and basting it with something sweet. I think I was floating past that house….

It’s hard to walk and drool, but I’ve just about mastered it.

Then…I noticed a family with small children having dinner at their picnic table. Bowls all over the table, family laughing and eating, dog begging. Straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Potato salad, fried chicken…

That did it

Instead of listening to Free Food for Millionaires, which is a great book but has nothing to do with food, I started thinking about our dinner.

Started thinking about barbecuing chicken.
Thinking about potato salad.
Thought about salad Nicoise.
Tuna, Nicoise olives, hard boiled eggs, green beans, tomatoes, , potatoes, right?
Smelled that grilled chicken again.
Thought about the components of a great Southern meal.
Grilled chicken, deviled eggs, tomato basil salad, classic potato salad.
Put the two thoughts together and came up with this.

Barbecued Chicken with Mesa Grill Barbecue Sauce: a sauce everyone should keep in the fridge during the hot months.
Groom’s Devilish Eggs with Green Olives …do the basic deviled eggs…a little Hellmann’s mayo, chopped green olives, paprika
Classic Potato Salad …soak the red onions before using to get the strength out….use a bit of sissy mustard in the dressing to make it even classic -er
Fresh Herb Salad Mix…it’s good for you….
Tomato, Artichoke, Sugar Snap and fresh Basil…blanch the sugar snaps and drop in ice water to preserve the color. Use marinated artichoke hearts…provides the dressing, right? A bit of freshly ground black pepper and fresh basil.

See?

A Southern Nicoise Salad.
For lack of a better name.

I wonder what the neighbors will be cooking this afternoon?

Mesa Grill Barbecue Sauce
Adapted From Bobby Flay

A couple of good swirls extra virgin olive oil
½ red onion, diced
1 large spoonful garlic confit
8 canned San Marzano tomatoes
¼ cup ketchup
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire
¼ cup water
3 tbsp dark molasses
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp wild honey
1 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp ancho chile powder
1 tbsp smoked sweet paprika

Heat the olive oil til almost smoking in large pan over medium heat and sweat the onion and garlic confit until softened, about five minutes. Throw tomatoes into food processor and pulse two times, add to pan. Cook 15 minutes at a simmer. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 20 minutes. Put into food processor and pulse several times.
Let cool to room temperature.
Makes about 2-2.5 cups

Click here for a printable recipe!

One Year Ago on Feeding Groom

Mesa Grill Barbecue Sauce and a Southern Salad Nicoise

Crispy Tortilla Eggs with Avocado and Lime

Well, to look at this picture, you’d think this meal was a hot mess.

By looks alone, it may appear that way. But taste wise…this simply rocks.

This is an adaptation of a recipe from The Splendid Table‘s: How to Eat Supper by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift.

Crisped corn tortillas, eggs, Vidalia onion, then let your imagination go…this version has avocado, tomatoes, green tomatillo salsa, a bit of Manchego…and then a spritz of fresh lime juice.

Great ingredients that come together fast to make one of the best and easiest busy night suppers you’re gonna eat. You can virtually clean out your fridge and be lazy at the same time.

Multi tasking at it’s best.

Brilliant concept.

Brilliant book.

Crispy Tortilla Eggs with Avocado and Lime
Adapted from The Splendid Table‘s: How to Eat Supper by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift

A couple of good swirls extra virgin olive oil
4 stale corn tortillas, cut into long narrow strips
½ medium Vidalia onion, chopped
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup green tomatillo salsa
A couple of mini Bradley tomatoes, quartered
1/3 cup grated Manchego cheese
1 large ripe avocado, sliced
1 lime, halved
¼ cup sour cream, Greek yogurt or crème fraiche
Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish (I didn’t have any but it would be fab on this)

Swirl the olive oil in large nonstick saute pan and heat over medium high heat til oil looks wavy. Add tortilla strips and try until they begin to crisp, about a minute. Don’t move around too much , let crisp on one side and then turn them.

Add the onion and continue frying until the tortilla strips are crispy and nicely browned. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from heat and if there is any extra fat, pour off and reserve 1 tbsp in pan .

Return pan to burner, reducing the heat to medium. Move the majority of the strips to the edge of the pan, leaving about three inches clear in the center. Pour the eggs in the center and partially over the strips. Allow the eggs to set, and then gently pull them apart, letting the uncooked egg reach the surface of the pan. Once the eggs are firmly set, turn them in large pieces to finish cooking.

Serve with the salsa, cheese, slices of avocado, a squeeze of fresh lime and the sour cream.

Serves 4.
Halves well.
Tastes divine.

Crispy Tortilla Eggs with Avocado and Lime

The Egg and I

When I was seventeen, I got a job at a French cafe in Nashville. It was run by a wonderful cook and her family and if this seventeen year old could have had any more fun, it would have killed me. I learned a lot that summer. I was in charge of the cold area of the kitchen. The salads. The desserts. And jumping in to help when orders were flying in and out the door. I was also the one who made the omelets. I can’t remember how many eggs we went through a day, but believe me there were a lot. You could have your choice of anything to put in them. Chicken livers were a hot item. Gruyere cheese. Sautéed potatoes and onions. Roasted red peppers. Tomatoes and fresh basil. I got so good at the omelet thing my parents gave a brunch that summer and guess what they served. My omelets. Talk about bringing the job home with you.

Nowadays, the Spanish tortilla is my egg dish of choice. . I like the look of them, I like them in sandwiches, I like them with salads…Arugula, the green of choice at our house, makes a bright foil for the flavors of this recipe.

Catalan Potato and Onion Tortilla.. adapted from a recipe by Perla Meyers


Extra virgin olive oil
2-3 medium sized Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
4-5 eggs
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Heat four to five swirls of extra virgin olive oil in a 10 inch skillet over low heat. Cast iron works best. Add the potatoes and onions, season with the salt and pepper and cook covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are tender.



Put the mixture in a strainer placed over a bowl and set aside for 15 minutes. Reserve the potatoes and the strained oil separately.
Beat the eggs in bowl till light and season with salt, pepper and a bit pf cayenne. Whisk till blended. Fold the potato mixture into the eggs and mix well.

Heat the reserved oil in 9-½ inch nonstick skillet over medium to low heat. Pour the mixture into the skillet and cook about 7 minutes or till the bottom is lightly browned and eggs begin to set. Take a plate that covers the top of the skillet and invert eggs onto the plate. Add some olive oil to the skillet. When hot slide eggs back into the skillet. Cook five more minutes or till completely set. Chop a little fresh Italian parsley and sprinkle on the top.
Cut into quarters and serve. Serves 4.

You can serve it at room temperature if you like. It’s great stuffed into a warmed pita with Arugula and chopped tomatoes that have been tossed with a light vinaigrette.

The Egg and I