Deviled Eggs
[caption id="attachment_1016" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Deviled Eggs"]
[/caption]Who knew that the dish deviled eggs had a history? Well, they do! Deviled eggs or as the bourgeois would call it Eggs Mimosa are just eggs that have been cut in half and refilled with their yolks prepared with some other ingredients like mayo or mustard and served hot or cold. They are most often served as a side dish or appetizer but many people including myself serve them as a main course.
Supposedly the Deviled egg was created in Rome, Italy. They are eaten in various forms and recipes all through Europe. The French call deviled eggs, eggs mimosa. Don't ask me why I don't know! They are called eggs kazino in Hungary and gevuld ei which is stuffed eggs. There is a version of deviled eggs that is filled with caviar and served with a remoulade sauce and it is called Russian eggs because of the caviar. Today deviled eggs are really common in the United States served as an appetizer, side dish or even as hors d'oeuvres. We in the states have made deviled eggs so popular that we have even created special deviled egg serving trays for them.
The word "deviled" in deviled eggs supposedly dates to the 19th century and refers to some rather hot spices used in cooking. Our more modern versions of deviled eggs include such ingredients as cheese, wasabi, garlic, capers, mushrooms, spinach and even smoked salmon or other seafood's and because of this most of our versions of deviled eggs are not hot or even close to spicy and that is why I added some heat to the one's in my video. In culinary terms the word "deviled" which goes back to around the 18th century also referred the use of hot and zesty ingredients in food which had heat to them
In some parts of the Southern and Midwestern United States, the terms "salad eggs" or "dressed eggs" are used, particularly when the dish is served in connection with a church function - presumably to avoid dignifying the word "deviled."
Many years ago I used to live in Alabama and in the south deviled eggs are commonly called "salad eggs" or "dressed eggs" and this is a term used when served at lunch or dinner time after a church function and the deviled egg dish is presumable called "dressed eggs" to avoid any connotation to Old Jebez himself.
It is Memorial Day Weekend and all of us have an extra day or two off from work. Thank God! I hope that we all took the time to remember our fallen dead, the one's that have fought for our freedoms throughout all wars. It is a time of remembrance and a time of celebration. Yes! Celebration of the freedoms we still have and a celebration of the one's that fought for it since the time this country began! All raise a glass in memory!
Now, many of us have little gatherings, parties, BBQ's and the like and naturally we will eat and drink. I stopped counting the drink after my 54th beer! (Yeah! don't believe that for a second!) So we go out shopping a day or two before the Memorial Day Weekend and we gear up for the cooking and BBQ. My whole neighborhood smells like one big BBQ on Memorial Day! I myself don't have a BBQ so I have to cook indoors.
So one of the dishes I make as an appetizer for my gathering is Deviled Eggs. I make a custom version of Deviled Eggs with sun dried tomato basil and walnut pesto and some peperoncino and spinach! Then I chill them for about an hour or two before serving and they are so rich and creamy and an absolute pleasure to wash down with a beer. I hope you try this recipes it is really delicious!
Pesto Ingredients:
4 cups fresh basil leaves packed.
1 cup Pamesano Reggiano or Grana Padana grated.
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup walnuts and 2 Tbsp. crushed walnuts for garnish.
4 cloves garlic crushed.
1 Tbsp. black pepper.
1/2 small jar sun dried tomatoes in oil. Drain pat off excess oil from them and chop them up
Pinch of salt if needed as the cheese will generally have enough salt in it for flavor, but if you need a bit more then go ahead.
You will need one spinach leaf for each egg half you are going to serve. Cut the stems from the leaves, you want the bottom of the leaves flat.
You will also need to take a small handful of spinach leaves to make spinach chiffonade to decorate your plates.
Preparation:
1. In a food processor combine the basil and walnuts and pulse them down a few times.
2. Now add the garlic and chopped sun dried tomatoes and pulse the mixture down.
3. Add some olive oil to we the mixture and start pulsing again to get the mixture to spin freely in the processor.
4. Leave the processor on constant and slowly pour the rest of the olive oil into the mixture.
5. Stop occasionally to scrape the side of the food processor with a rubber spatula.
6. Now add your grated cheese and black pepper and process your pesto to the consistency that you desire and then store in jar, I like to use canning jars cause they are really airtight and things will stay fresher longer in them. I like mine a bit on the rougher side and some people like the pesto on the finer side. It is all a matter of taste and texture.
Egg Preparation:
1. 1 Lg pot cold water and add 1 or 2 Tbsp. salt and stir it in.
2. 1 dozen eggs, place them in the water and bring to boil and then cook 8 to 10 minutes depending on your stove until eggs are done.
3. Place eggs in bowl with cold water to stop the cooking and let them soak another 10 minutes this should soften the shells to peel easily.
4. Peel the shells off the eggs.
5. Place eggs on cutting board and have a sharp knife and wet paper towel to whet the blade so it does not stick to egg yolk when cutting.
6. Slice each egg in half the long way.
7. Separate the yolks from the eggs.
8. Place yolks in large bowl and crush them up with a fork.
9. For 12 eggs add 6 Tbsp. pesto to start. If mixture is still a bit on the dry side add more pesto until the mixture is smooth but with texture of different sized bits of yolk.
10. Add peperoncino to the mixture about 11/2 Tbsp. or more to taste. You can also use Sambal sauce or Cayenne powder if you want.
11. Mix it up well. Now you will begin by placing one spinach leaf in each egg half as you go and the spoon in the pesto/yolk filling. Wipe off any excess filling that gets on the rim of the egg whites. Repeat this until you have all the egg halves filled with spinach leaf and pesto/yolk filling.
12. Garnish your plate with the spinach chiffonade and place your eggs on the plate.
13. Garnish each egg half with some crushed walnuts pushed into the pesto/yolk filling and then lightly dust the plate with some more crushed walnuts. Then chill for an hour or two and then serve! You will love them, I promise!
Note: The pesto recipe will make approx. 2 cups of pesto and depending on how much of it you use on egg yolks you will have some left. If you have any yolk/pesto mixture left after making the eggs try some of it as a spread on French or Italian bread. Yummy!
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