88-Lancast«r Farming, Saturday, April 18,1998
Avocado Egg Salad can easily be adapted to suit your taste. Because egg salad
does not require precise measurements, you don’t need to be afraid to experiment.
Get Cracking With Egg Salad
There’s nothing like the onset of
balmy spring weather to whet our
appe titics for a chilled salad—
especially if it offers our palates a
welcome zing and provides needed
nutrients without excess fat
Colorful, flavorful, nutritious
and easy to prepare. Egg Salad Ita
lia fills the bills. The contrasting
soft cream-colored pasta, crisp
green zucchini and pungent red
onion echo the colon of the Italian
flag and with fresh mushrooms and
Italian seasonings, form a tasty
combination of favorite Italian
foods. Sunny hard cooked eggs
add protein to give the salad main
dish status.
For this quick salad or for sand
wich fillings and snacks, it’s help
ful to keep hard-cooked eggs on
hand. Once cooked, they’ll keep
nicely in the refrigerator for a
week.
Take a look at these recipes and
you’ll be surprised that egg
can be made in so many unique
ways. Making egg salad is not a
precise science, so don’t be afraid
to experiment
Recipe Topics
If you have recipes for the topics listed below, please share
them with us. We welcome your recipes, but ask that you
include accurate measurements, a complete list of ingredients
and clear instructions with each recipe you submit. Send your
recipes to Lou Ann Good, Lancaster Farming, P.O. Box 609,
Ephrata, PA 17522. Recipes should reach our office one week
before publishing date.
April
May
MARVELOUS
MAKE-AHEAD SALAD
1 quart bile-sized pieces salad
greens
I cuff chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped celery
10-ounce padcage frozen peas,
separated
'A cup minced onion
10 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese,
divided
2 cups bottled buttermilk
dressing
On bottom of large salad bowl
or 13x9x2-inch baking dish, even
ly distribute salad greens.
Evenly layer green pepper, cel
ery. peas, and onion over greens.
Reserve center slices from 1 egg
for garnish. Layer remaining egg
slices over vegetables. Sprinkle
with 'A cup cheese. Spread dress
ing evenly over salad and sprinkle
with remaining cheese. Cover and
chill to blend flavors. Garnish with
egg slices. Fro each serving, serve
a portion on all layers.
Am. Egg Board
25 - Using Olives
2 - Fish, Seafood
9 - Favorite Recipe Made By Your Mother
16 - National Barbecue Month
CONGEALED EGG SALAD
2 tablespoons unflavored
gelatin
/* cup cold water
A cup small gherkins, chopped
'A cup stuffed olives, chopped
'A cup juice (from gherkins and
olives)
8 hard cooked eggs, chopped
'A cup lemon juke
'A teaspoon sugar
1 A cups mayonnaise
A teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Tabasco to taste
Worcestershire to taste
Soak gelatin in cold water. Dis
solve in hot olive and gheikin liq
uid. Add all other ingredients and
pour into a mold to congeal. Serve
on lettuce leaves with cold, sliced
com beef; tomatoes, rye bread, and
iced tea or beer.
Eileen Greenaway
Somerville, NJ
BACON DEVILED EGGS
12 hard cooked eggs, shelled,
halved
1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 slices bacon, cut into small
pieces
Remove yolks and place in
bowl. Add mustard and mayon
naise, salt and pepper to taste. Mix
well.
In fry pan, firy bacon until cris
py. Remove from pan and drain
well. Crumble into smalt pieces.
Add to yolk mixture. Blend well.
The consistency should not be
runny.
Fill into holes of egg whites.
Sprinkle with a little paprika.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Lee Laverty
Dover, NJ
(Turn to Pago B 6)
Answers To Often
Asked Questions
About Eggs
How long will eggs keep?
Fresh shell eggs can be kept refrigerated in their carton for at
least 4 to 5 weeks beyond the pack date. Quality losses should be
insignificant if the eggs are refrigerated as soon as possible after
purchase from a refrigerated case. If let to sit out, eggs will age
more in one day at room temperature than in one week in the
refrigerator.
Store eggs in their cartons because eggs can absorb refrigerator
odors. Refrigerate hard-cooked eggs in their carton as soon as
they are cooled and use within a week.
Raw whites will keep up to four days if refrigerated in a tight
ly covered container. Unbroken raw yolks, covered with water in
a tightly covered container in the refrigerator, should be used
within one or two days.
Eggs cannot be frozen in their shells, and hard-cooked whites
will become tough if frozen. Hard-cooked yolks and raw whole
eggs, whites, and yolks can be frozen successfully.
Use freezer containers, seal tightly, label with the number of
whites, yolks, or whole eggs, and the date. When frozen, yolks will
become thickened or gelled so they need special treatment. Stir
1/8 teaspoon salt or 11/2 teaspoons sugar or com syrup into each
4 yolks. Note on the label whether you've added salt (for use with
main dishes) or sweetener (for baking or desserts). The thawed
product may be somewhat thicker than it would be if made with
fresh eggs.
To freeze whole eggs, beat just enough to blend yolks and
whites. Egg whites need no special treatment before freezing. If
you like, freeze each white in an ice cube tray, then transfer the
cubes to a freezer container.
Thaw frozen eggs overnight in the refrigerator or under run
ning cold water. Use yolks or whole eggs as soon as they're
thawed. Once thawed, whites will beat to better volume if allowed
to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Hard-cooked yolks can be frozen to be used later for toppings or
garnishes. To cook them, carefully place the unbroken raw yolks
in a saucepan and add enough water to come at least 1-inch above
them. Cover and bring just to boiling. Remove the pan from the
heat and let the yolks stand, covered, in the hot water 15 minutes.
Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain well before packag
ing and freezing.
Are fertile eggs more nutritious?
Fertile eggs are not more nutritious than nonfertile eggs. They
do not keep as well as nonfertile eggs and are more expensive to
produce.
Is there a difference between brown- and
white-sbelled eggs?
No. Shell color is determined by the breed of the hen and is not
related to quality, nutrients, flavor, or cooking characteristics.
Since brown-egg layers are slightly larger birds and require more
food, brown eggs are usually more expensive than white.
What causes blood spots? Small spots of blood (sometimes
called "meat" spots) are occasionally found in an egg yolk. These
do not indicate a fertile egg; they are caused by the rupture of a
blood vessel on the yolk surface during formation of the egg. Most
eggs with blood spots are removed during the grading process but
a few may escape detection. As an egg ages, water moves from the
albumen into the yolk, diluting the blood spot. Thus, a visible
blood spot actually indicates a fresh egg. Such eggs are suitable
for consumption. The spot can be removed with the tip of a knife,
if you wish.
What are the stringy white pieces in egg whites?
These rope-like strands of egg white, call chalazae (ka-LAY
zee), are not imperfections or beginning embryos but a natural,
edible part of the egg. They keep the yolk centered in the thick
white.
Why do some hard-cooked eggs have discolored yolks?
This harmless greenish ring is due to an iron and sulfur com
pound which forms when eggs are overcooked or not cooled quick
ly.
Why are some hard-cooked eggs difficult to peel?
Fresh eggs may be difficult to peel. Those which have been
stored for a week to 10 days before cooking will usually peel more
easily. To help make peeling easier, cool the eggs immediately and
thoroughly in cold water after cooking. To remove the shell, crack
le it by tapping gently all over. Roll the egg between your hands
to loosen the shell, then peel, starting at the large end. Hold the
egg under running cold water or dip it in a bowl of water to help
ease off the shell.
Taken from "Answers To Often Asked Questions About Eggs" by
the American Egg Board.
Can eggs be frozen?