Let’s face it. There are only so many basic egg recipes you can stomach.
You’ve deviled them, scrambled them, fried them, pickled them, chopped them into salad. You’ve even dyed them (at least, their shells). You’ve prepared all the egg recipes in your cookbooks!
With your customers staying at home and your hens in full lay, you may be up to your eyeballs in eggs. You may not be able to escape from your eggsistence, but you can definitely travel with your tastebuds!
Try one of these three international egg recipes to expand your dining horizons and alleviate your at-home routine.
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Frittata (Italy)
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (or one teaspoon minced garlic)
3 baby zucchini, sliced thinly
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 eggs, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup shredded fontina or Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet over medium flame, heat the oil.
Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion has softened (approximately 8 to 10 minutes).
Add the baby zucchini slices and herbs and cook for five more minutes, turning the slices carefully so as not to rip them. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for five minutes.
In a medium bowl, toss the three cheeses until they are well blended. Lightly grease two 8-inch pie pans (glass works best!).
Fold the cooled vegetables into the beaten eggs, then divide the vegetable-egg mixture between the two pie pans.
Top each with half of the shredded cheese mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until the frittata has set and is puffed and golden brown. Cool approximately five minutes, then slice into wedges and serve.
Crêpes (France)
Ingredients
6 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Oil for frying
8 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic)
2 medium white onions, minced
2 pounds white mushrooms, sliced thinly
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence (or 2 teaspoons dried tarragon)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups shredded Gruyère or Raclette cheese
Directions
In a blender, combine the eggs, milk and olive oil. Add the 1/4 teaspoon salt and half of the flour and blend until smooth. Add the remaining flour and blend thoroughly. The mixture should thickly coat a spoon.
Refrigerate for an hour. Heat a 1/2 teaspoon of oil in a medium-sized frying pan over medium flame, tilting the pan to coat the entire surface with oil.
Add a 1/4 cup of batter, tilting the pan to coat the entire surface with batter. Cook until the crêpe appears dry and the edges are slightly golden brown.
Using either your fingers or a spatula, quickly flip the crêpe (if it falls apart, it hasn’t cooked long enough yet). Cook until golden brown.
Continue with the remaining batter to make approximately three dozen crêpes, using wax paper between each so they don’t stick to each other.
In a large skillet over medium flame, melt the butter until slightly browned. Add the garlic and onions and sauté for five minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes, until the mushrooms are browned. Set aside 1/2 cup of the mushrooms.
Add the herbs and red wine to the skillet to deglaze and cook, allowing the sauce to reduce slightly. Add the heavy cream and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is well blended and thickened, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
To assemble the crêpes, spread one to two tablespoons of the mushroom filling in the center of each crêpe, then roll it up.
Place three or four crêpes on a plate, then drizzle a spoonful of the creamy wine sauce (without vegetables) over the top, sprinkle with shredded cheese, and top with some of the reserved mushrooms.
Meet the beloved chickens of Florida’s Ybor City neighborhood!
Chilaquiles (Mexico)
Ingredients
10 to 12 corn tortillas
10 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (or one teaspoon minced garlic)
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2 cups shredded quesadilla, Pepper Jack, or Monterey Jack cheese
sour cream
lime wedges
hot sauce
Directions
Spread the tortillas in a single layer on a clean towel on the kitchen counter. Allow them to air out for an hour to dry out.
Stack the dried tortillas and carefully slice them into half-inch strips. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, heavy cream, and herbs. Set aside.
Heat half of the oil in a large skillet over medium flame. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion has softened (approximately eight to 10 minutes). Strain and set the vegetable mixture aside.
Add the remaining oil to the pan and allow to heat. Add the tortilla strips and cook, stirring continually, until firm but still soft. Do not overcook.
Add the egg mixture and the vegetables to the tortillas and cook, stirring, until well blended and the eggs are set to your choice of consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
Turn the flame to low. Sprinkle the egg mixture with the cheese, then cook for one to two minutes until the cheese is melty.
Serve immediately with hot sauce, sour cream and lime wedges.
Hopefully these egg recipes can bring you some savory joy and grant a touch of mealtime escape.
