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June 12, 2015

Eggs on Things. {Vegetarian Foodie Ideas}

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Sure, sure it’s super trendy to put eggs on things lately—everyone is doing it. But while it looks gorgeous in Women’s Health, Buzzfeed and on Pinterest, the actual instructions for doing it well are often missing.

Here is your (vegetarian) ticket to the great egg-on-it trend of the 2,000s.

First, we need to buy the right egg. Without the right egg the whole thing is not only not worth it, but kind of disgusting. We must use eggs that were gathered from chickens raised humanely. Not “free-range” (that’s usually a lie) and not organic (that’s not good enough).

Try to buy eggs from your local farmer or farmer’s market. If you cannot do this, buy eggs that are labeled “certified humane.” They will cost twice or three times what other eggs cost—pay the price. By doing so we are voting with our dollars for more conscious farming/consuming—always a good thing.

If you need to be further convinced, try this:

Steal one factory farmed egg from an irresponsible friend and grab one ethical egg of your own. Hard boil them both. Un-peel them. Have your friend blindfold you and juggle the eggs around, keeping track of which is which. Take one bite of each. You will easily be able to tell one from the other—the factory farmed egg will taste of metal (and sadness) and the ethical egg will taste rich and creamy, with no weird notes or overtones.

So, okay, you’ve got your egg. Obviously there are a million and one ways to cook an egg—one of it’s many magical qualities—but for the purposes of putting an egg-on-it I find lightly frying or poaching is best.

To fry, simply put a drop of your favorite kind of oil in a pan, heat it up until it shimmers, turn down the heat to medium and gently crack an egg over it. If the yolk breaks, you’ll have to put that egg aside for something else and start with a new one—a runny yolk is paramount. Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, cook for about 3 minutes and you’re done. Do not flip the egg.

To poach, follow these instructions from the very posh BBC cooking channel:

  • Make sure your eggs are really fresh.
  • Add a small dash of vinegar (but no salt) to a pan of steadily simmering water.
  • Crack eggs individually into a ramekin or cup.
  • Create a gentle whirlpool in the water to help the egg white wrap around the yolk.
  • Slowly tip the egg into the water, white first. Leave to cook for three minutes.
  • Remove with a slotted spoon, cutting off any wispy edges using the edge of the spoon.
  • Drain onto kitchen paper—nobody wants eggy poaching water making their toast soggy or wilting their salad.

Once you have your perfectly cooked egg, what is it you are supposed to be putting it on? Here are some ideas, all tested in my own kitchen and ridiculously simple and good.

Ramen noodles. Really, I know this is the peasant food of the millennium, but put an egg on that bad boy and watch the magic.

Toast smeared with avocado. OMG, yum.

Vegetarian chili. Looks pretty and adds more than cheese ever could. Very fancy.

Brown rice. Use 1 egg per every half cup of rice.

Spaghetti. This is one my sister learned when she lived in Germany in the 1970’s as a hangover buster. Big plate of plain pasta with olive oil salt and pepper + egg = bliss.

Steamed asparagus spears.

Broiled tomatoes. Cut large tomatoes in half, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in foil lined pan, cut face up. Cook at 400 for 15 minutes and then broil until the top is bubbly, about two minutes.

Veggie burger. Any veggie burger becomes a moist and decadent treat with an egg on it.

Raw greens. A lightly fried or poached egg is instant salad dressing. Just choose your favorite greens– I like frisee or arugula—dress lightly with lemon juice, salt, pepper and your egg.

Cooked greens. Swiss chard, spinach, baby kale or anything else you like to sauté in garlic and olive oil will work wonderfully.

The thing is, the distinctive but not overwhelming flavor of an egg poached or fried just so, seems to oddly compliment just about anything. Go ahead and experiment, get weird!

I’d love to hear what you put eggs on in the comments section!

~

Author: Erica Leibrandt

Editor: Alli Sarazen

Photo: zhouxuan/Flickr

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