Eggs are the most versatile food. You can eat them at all three meals. An omelet — or any morning egg preparation — expands to a satisfying lunch or dinner simply by adding a salad.
Because most people have eggs, butter and onions on hand, there’s no need to make a special trip to the supermarket to whip up a sensational meal. Better yet, eggs are economical. In Pennsylvania, eggs cost about 42 cents each. With a portion size of two, an egg entrée costs 84 cents, far cheaper than chicken, steak or brisket.
If you love eggs, you are in good company. Americans consume 95 million dozen eggs a year— or 1.14 billion eggs.
The variety of egg recipes is endless. In “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” famed food author Julia Child devoted an entire chapter to egg preparation: poached, scrambled, omelets and shirred (an egg meal in a ramekin).
Egg lovers fall into two categories — people who rave about runny yolks and those who are repulsed by them. For runny yolks (in fried, shirred or soft-boiled eggs), always use eggs right from the refrigerator, which slows down the cooking time of yolks. Yolks set at a lower temperature than the whites. With room-temperature eggs, by the time the whites are set, the yolks are no longer runny.
Eggs are perfect for any occasion. They’re as cozy as flannel pajamas or elegant enough to serve with champagne. The world’s most satisfying comfort food, eggs can always be counted on when you need a delicious meal in minutes.
Dressy or Everyday Omelet | Dairy or Pareve
Serves 1-2
Equipment: 8-inch nonstick skillet
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil, plus
1-2 tablespoons
½ cup diced raw vegetables, including any combination of onion, green pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, tomato, broccoli, etc.
1 teaspoon chopped chives, plus 1 teaspoon
Kosher salt to taste
3 eggs
Optional: 2 tablespoons, grated cheese at room temperature — Parmesan, Swiss, cheddar, Monterey Jack, Gruyere, etc.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter or heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the skillet on a medium-low flame. Place the vegetables in the skillet, along with 1 teaspoon of chives and salt. Sauté until wilted. Spoon the mixture into a small bowl and reserve.
Whisk the eggs until foamy.
Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter or oil to the skillet. Pour in the eggs, making sure they cover the entire surface of the skillet. Using a fork, skim the surface of the eggs, making circles. Do not stir to the bottom crust of the eggs. Continue making circles until the eggs are nearly cooked through and only the top surface is raw.
Using a spatula, flip the omelet over momentarily to cook the raw surface and then quickly flip it back to its original position. Spoon the vegetable mixture over half of the omelet. Sprinkle on the grated cheese, if using.
Fold the omelet in half. Continue to cook it until the cheese melts and the vegetables are warm. Serve immediately.
Shirred Eggs with Spinach | Dairy
Serves 1
Equipment: Ramekin, approximately 5 inches
in diameter. You can set up more than
one ramekin if you’re serving more than
one person.
Butter for coating ramekin
6-10 spinach leaves, or more if needed,
stems removed
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cream or half-and-half
Salt to taste
A dusting of nutmeg
Accompaniment: 1-2 pieces of toast
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
Coat the ramekin generously with butter. Place the spinach leaves on the bottom of the ramekin to cover its entire surface. The leaves will overlap.
Gently crack the eggs and slide them on top of the spinach. Should a yolk break during cracking, use it for another purpose. Drizzle the cream over the egg yolks. Sprinkle it with salt and dust it with nutmeg.
Place the ramekin in the preheated oven and bake for 13-15 minutes, depending on how runny you like the yolks. Remove the ramekin from the oven and place it on a trivet. Serve it immediately in the ramekin.
Scrambled Eggs in Tortillas | Pareve
Serves 2
Equipment: 2 medium-sized skillets,
preferably nonstick
1 bunch of scallions
2 tablespoons corn oil, plus 2 tablespoons
or more, if needed
I small red pepper, diced
4 eggs
Kosher salt to taste
2 tortillas, 8 inches in diameter
Snip off the scallion roots and discard. Slice the white part thinly and discard the coarse ends.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in one of the skillets on a medium flame. Sauté the red pepper and scallion in the oil until wilted and fragrant. Move them to a bowl and reserve.
Temporarily remove the skillet from the flame.
Crack the eggs into a medium-sized bowl. Using a whisk, whip the eggs until the yolk and whites are thoroughly combined and the eggs are a little frothy. Add the pepper, scallions and salt and whisk again.
Place the first skillet on a medium flame. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil and heat until warm. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and scramble them.
At the same time, place the second skillet on a medium-high flame. Place one tortilla inside and heat the bottom side momentarily. Using tongs, flip the tortilla and heat the second side. Move it to a dinner plate. Repeat with the second tortilla. Then move it to another dinner place.
Spoon a little less than half of the scrambled eggs onto half of one tortilla; repeat it with the second tortilla. Fold both tortillas in half. Spoon the remaining scrambled egg mixture over each tortilla and serve immediately.
Linda Morel is a freelance food writer.
