Sparkle Kitchen: Deviled Eggs
In this week’s At Home with Martin & Sylvia story "The Chicken Coop", Sylvia is anxiously waiting for a clutch of baby chicks to hatch from eggs at the Brown’s farm.
With the advent of modern grocery stores, eggs are a food that is now available year round, but — when chickens are left more to their own devices — eggs are actually very seasonal.
Chickens lay eggs in response to light. In the winter, when there is less daylight, chickens lay few, if any, eggs. But just as soon as the earth’s axis starts to tilt back towards the sun, egg production picks back up quickly.
Imagine being a farmer who hasn’t had a fresh egg in months. You walk out to your chicken coop — maybe with snow still on the ground, even — to find that your favorite hen has laid you a beautiful, brown egg to eat on toast for your supper. Think about how happy you’d be to see that first bright golden yolk.
It makes it easy to understand why many spring holidays include eggs as part of the celebration, yes?
One of our favorite ways to enjoy the spring bounty of our hens increased egg production is by making a batch of deviled eggs. This is a classic, nothing fancy recipe, but it’s our family’s favorite. If your little ones are sensitive to spicy food, you may want to cut out the hot sauce, but — if you can get away with it — it really gives these eggs a nice kick.
Deviled Eggs
Ingredients
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled
2 heaping Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 heaping Tablespoons plain yellow mustard
3 Tablespoons dill relish
¼ teaspoon sriracha or other hot sauce
salt and pepper
paprika or chili powder (for garnish)
Directions
Cut the peeled eggs in half and deposit the yolks in a large mixing bowl. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, relish, and hot sauce.
Mash everything together with a potato masher or fork, and see how it looks. The goal is to have everything well incorporated, but still a little chunky. Add more mayonnaise or mustard as needed to get the right consistency.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, then scoop the yolk mixture back into the hollowed out whites. Sprinkle with bright red paprika or chili powder, and refrigerate for a few hours before eating.
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About the Author
Meryl Carver-Allmond
The Sparkle Kitchen Series is created by Meryl Carver-Allmond.
Meryl lives in a hundred-year-old house near the prairie with her sweet husband, two preschoolers, one puppy, one gecko, and about ten chickens. While she's been writing since she could pick up a pen, in recent years she's discovered the joy of photography, too. She feels lucky to be able to combine those skills, along with a third passion — showing people that cooking for themselves can be healthy and fun — in her Sparkle Kitchen posts.
