Eggs 'n' Herbs 'n' Lettuce

Hello sunshine!

Even if you are hiding behind a cloud, I know you are there.
Even if it is raining so hard the drops bounce and fall a second time, I know you are there, because it isn't dark.  And my cat is starting to do his passive-aggressive SUPER LOUD purr in my ear before the alarm goes off.
Which is his oh-so-gentle way of saying, "Hey lady! You, with the thumbs!  It is light outside, so why are you sleeping.  Change my water so I can splash it around and then come nap in your warm spot."

Anyway, it also means that the Farmers Markets are open and the herbs I repotted are keepin' up with the weeds, and the hens all over the Pacific NorthWe(s)t are cackling away over their new spring eggs.

Egg Salad time my friends!

Egg Salad Sandwich - the good kind

(for 1 sandwich - multiply as needed) 

Ingredients:

handful of herbs

(parsley, cilantro, basil, chives, oregano, maybe a little mint - whatever is available.)

2 eggs

lettuce

mayonnaise

1/2 tsp mustard

salt & pepper to taste

bread

Equipment:

pot with a lid

slotted spoon

kitchen towel

"cereal" sized bowl

fork

Prep:

Fill the pot about half full of water, enough to cover the eggs, plus a little.

Place the eggs in gently, and out on high heat.  

Keep an eye on it while rinsing and chopping up the herbs.

Also give the lettuce a quick rinse and dry.

As soon as the eggs come to a full, rolling boil.  Turn off the heat and let them sit there for about 5 minutes.  If you end up letting them sit for half and hour, they will still be fine.

Cook:

Remove the eggs from the hot water with a slotted spoon.  Place them on the kitchen towel so they can dry and cool enough to handle.

Give them a few gentle knocks on the counter, and peel off the shell.

Tear the peeled eggs in half, and put them in the cereal bowl.  Start mashing them with a fork.  Add a spoonful of mayo, the mustard, and the herbs.  Mash until chunky, but well mixed.  If it looks too dry, add a little more mayonnaise.

Taste for seasoning.  Add salt and pepper until it tastes just right.

Spoon some on to some bread, toss a lettuce leaf on top, finish making the sandwich and enjoy.

Variations:

There's no rule that says you HAVE to make it a sandwich.  Crackers are good, as are sliced veg, tortillas or other flatbread.


Popping egg salad inside a hollowed out cherry tomato makes you look fancy!

My favorite lazy way to make hardboiled eggs is in my electric kettle.  Put in the eggs, hit the on switch, and get back to the eggs in a bit.

(Paleo and Gluten Free people - ignore the bread but still go make this)

(For my longest readers - yes, this is a revisit, but THIS time, I wrote down a recipe!)

Sorrel Gremolata

Sorrel.  

When poor Bilbo Baggins finds himself on the other side of the Misty Mountains in The Hobbit, pony-less and thus provision-less, one thing he grabs to eat along the trail is sorrel.

One of the first greens of spring, it brings a fresh burst of vitamin C, which in the raw state comes across as pucker sour.  No lemons you say? At the start of spring, get your sour here.

Ingredients:

sorrel - handful

garlic cloves - 1 or 2  

blanched almonds - small handful (optional)

Equipment:

cutting board & knife

or

small food processor

Prep:

Wash the sorrel and remove the stems.

Peel the garlic.

Cook:

Chop the garlic and sorrel (and optional almonds) into smithereens.  

Ta-Da!

Gremolata as sour as you'd ever like, and not a lemon in sight.

Use to top anything that needs a little kick.

I used it on these giant beans, but it is great on cooked carrots, baked potatoes, roasted squash, fish baked in butter, garlic, parsley, salt & pepper, or mixed into mayo on a sandwich.  The last Tbs goes into the base of a salad dressing perfectly.