CULINARY COMFORT
Eggs 201: Eggs Go Global
BY KAREN PERRY AND
DEE DEE GOIDEL
In this article, we are going to egg
you on to learn something new.
Each one of you is a good egg
and will be a fine student. Hopefully,
we will not lay an egg with our
presentation. Instead, each one of
you will walk away with a nest egg
of culinary information.
Eggs are one of the most versatile
ingredients in any kitchen, so
it should come as no surprise that
there are countless egg dishes from
around the world, each of which
highlights a culture’s signature
spices and classic cooking techniques.
For centuries, chefs from
Asia to Africa have been pairing
local ingredients with the otherwise
simple egg.
It sounds like a tall tale, but our
first story shows how an international
sounding dish, French
Toast, really originated in America.
When they arrived in America, the
British colonists’ food was spoiled.
Specifically, the bread was stale. A
colonial chef named Joseph French
decided to revive the bread by dipping
it in a mixture of egg and milk
and then frying it. In time, his first
name was dropped and it became
known as “French Toast.”
Our international-sounding
“French Toast” has proven to be quite
versatile. It has branched out with
countless variations. At the turn of the
century, “Crunchy French Toast” was
made with a coating of cornflakes.
The New Orleans slant on the dish,
“pain perdu,” uses French bread, a
rich custard for the soaking sauce and
praline candy for the topping. In the
Midwest, poppyseeds and brandy
are added to the egg bath. Novelty
breads such as challah or brioche are
frequently substituted. Specifically, in
Spain there are “torrijas.” An eggy
bread such as brioche or challah is
used. They are deep-fried in olive oil
then topped with cinnamon sugar
and honey.
One might say that in America,
eggs have a little less “magic.” They
are frequently relegated to humdrum
breakfast fare. But around the world,
people do fascinating things with
eggs, from carefully fermenting them
for rare delicacies to frying them up
as street snacks. Most international
egg dishes are versatile and meant to
be eaten at any time of the day. We
are going to take a whirlwind tour of
international egg cookery with stops
in four countries – Mexico, Japan,
the United Kingdom and Israel.
Mexican cuisine highlights the egg
in one of its most popular dishes,
“huevos rancheros.” The name
means literally “rancher’s eggs.” You
don’t have to be a farmhand to love
fried eggs and tomato-chile sauce
atop corn tortillas with a side of rice
and beans. In the witty “divorced
eggs,” the pun is visual. Two fried
eggs, one coated with red salsa and
the other with green salsa, are kept
apart by a barrier of beans.
The egg dishes in Japan seem the
most unusual of our five countries.
In “osen tamago,” the egg is cooked
at a low temperature until the yolk
takes on a custard-like quality. The
shell is removed and the egg is
served in a small cup of broth and
soy sauce. The Japanese “tamagoyaki”
resembles a lasagne. Thin sheets
of cooked egg are seasoned with soy
sauce and dashi, layered on top of
each other, and then eaten after they
are tightly rolled.
Egg cookery from the United
Kingdom is more familiar to the
American traveler. First is the “Scotch
egg,” a takeoff of the familiar British
pairing of eggs and sausage. A Scotch
egg takes that relationship to the next
level by blanketing a hard-boiled egg
with sausage and breadcrumbs, then
cooking the whole thing in a deep
fryer or oven. No stay in Britain
would be complete without a “full
English breakfast.” Usually saved for
weekends and holidays, the name
comes simply because the “full”
breakfast is literally full of different
foods. While having many versions,
the core of the “full English breakfast”
2021
June squeezed dry
¢• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
COURIER • 2 T. chopped fresh dill
• 2 T. sliced scallions
The Finish:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
TOWERS • Combine the basic egg
mixture with the additional
ingredients you have selected.
• Pour into skillet and stir
SHORE until ingredients are spread
uniformly.
• Cook on top of stove until
NORTH edges start to come away from
the pan, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Place skillet in the oven and
30 is always eggs, sausage, and
bake until set, 16 to 18 minutes. bacon. In one version, additions to
this include baked beans, potatoes
and cabbage, and fried bread. How
do you get on the plane after that?
Our featured illustration of egg
cookery from Israel is “shakshuka,”
a popular eggs-for-dinner recipe.
Originally from North Africa, the
dish is now popular in Israel and
other parts of the Middle East. While
it looks fancy, this single skillet dish
is fairly simple to prepare. A tomato
sauce is made by combining onion,
red peppers, and garlic with coarsely
chopped plum tomatoes. Spices
include cumin, paprika, and ground
cayenne. The challenge is to keep
each of several eggs whole as you
slide them in to rest on the sauce.
As poached eggs are a popular
ingredient in many international
recipes, we will take time out for
a brief tutorial on how to poach
the perfect egg. Boil water with a
splash of vinegar in it. The vinegar
helps the whites cook evenly.
The egg is first broken into a cup.
Use the lip of the cup to guide the
whole egg into the water at once.
In simmering water, cook the eggs
3-5 minutes until the whites are set
and the yolks begin to thicken but
are not hard. Remove eggs with a
slotted spoon allowing the water
to drain.
We hope we don’t have egg on our
faces after this presentation. As we
do every month, we wish you comfort
through culinary adventures.
NEXT MONTH IN
CULINARY COMFORT
Now that we’ve gotten you good
and hungry, let’s talk about next
month’s comfort food theme. With
July the month of Independence Day
and outdoor feasts, next month’s
column will highlight summer
celebrations. Your shared memory
can include anything from stuffed
hamburgers to homemade potato
salad. Even if you do not have a
recipe, we want to hear about your
fond memories as well.
Recipes can be sent with a note
explaining your pleasant memory.
Please leave all replies with the
concierge indicated below:
Buildings 1 & 2: Dee Dee
Goidel, B#2, 29 N
Building 3: Karen Perry,
B#3, 9U
The International
Frittata
It has been fabulous hearing
about these international
egg masterpieces. However,
we want to leave you with a versatile
international dish you can
prepare at home. For this, we
present the amazingly adaptable
frittata. A base of onions, eggs,
and milk is prepared. From
now on the choice is yours. You
can make the frittata French,
Italian or Greek according to
your choice of additional meat,
vegetables, cheese, and spices. In
any language, enjoy!
The Basics:
1. In a 10” oven-safe skillet,
heat 3 Tbsps. olive oil.
2. Add ½ cup of diced onions.
Cook until softened, about 5
minutes.
3. In a bowl, whisk together
8 large eggs, ½ cup milk, ¾ tsp.
salt and ¼ tsp. pepper.
French:
Combine in a separate bowl:
• One cup lightly sauteed
diced red peppers
• One cup lightly sauteed
sliced zucchini
• ½ cup grated Gruyere
cheese
• ¼ cup finely chopped basil
leaves
Italian:
Combine in a separate bowl:
• 8 oz. Italian sausage,
browned and crumbled
• ½ cup broccoli rabe, cooked
then cut into 2-inch strips
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan
cheese
Greek:
Combine in a separate bowl:
• One pound baby spinach,
cooked lightly then