Leftovers by any other name (part 4) ... Put an egg on it

hash trio with poached eggs

At Thanksgiving, my friend Kelly said she has a put an egg on it rule for her leftovers: If you can put an egg on it and make a meal out of it, it is a good leftover. And in this season, we really do need new ideas for leftovers!

Last night, in an effort to clean out the remainder of our Thanksgiving leftovers, but not eat the same meal again, I made three kinds of hash with poached eggs. Hash is basically cooked meat and/or vegetables cut into small pieces and cooked again, usually with potatoes. I love onions in my hash, some people also like bell peppers in their hash too. We had ham and sweet potato hash, potato duo hash, and garden vegetable hash. They were delicious, and it was a joy to eat a new meal.

Ham and sweet potato hash ingredients

Butter

Onion

Leftover sweet potatoes

Leftover ham

Seasonings

Potato duo hash ingredients

Butter

Onion

Leftover sweet potatoes

Leftover mashed potatoes

Seasonings

Garden vegetable hash ingredients

Butter

Onion

Leftover eggplant

Leftover zucchini

Leftover summer squash

Leftover beets

Seasonings

How to make your hash

Melt butter in a skillet. Add finely chopped onion and saute until soft. Add chopped meats and vegetables. Saute until hash starts to brown and crisp. Serve topped with an egg -- poached, fried, or soft-boiled work best.

What leftovers do you have in your refrigerator? Hash is versatile, make up your own!

Back by request

I made a fabulous chocolate cake for my son, Jude’s 10th birthday. One of his friends commented, “This isn’t cake, this is fudge.” It truly is dense, chocolaty, and delicious, but also truly is cake. It’s from-scratch, but truly not much more effort than a boxed cake mix. Even the non-chocolate-eaters among my friends and family are requesting this recipe (or that I make this recipe). Especially Jude’s friend, Henry, has been asking me to give the recipe to his mother, so here it is: It’s from a book called Roald Dahl’s Revolting Recipes. The recipes aren’t revolting, per se, but they often have revolting connotations from Roald Dahl’s books: Stink Bugs’ Eggs, Mosquitoes’ Toes and Wampfish Roes Most Delicately Fried, Crispy Wasp Stings on a Piece of Buttered Toast, and Fresh Mudburgers, for example. Bruce Bogtrotter’s Cake (from Matilda) got off easy, I think.

I added a teaspoon of vanilla to the original cake recipe, and I reduced the icing from 8 ounces of chocolate and cream to 6 ounces, I just found that the original recipe made just too much icing, and I ended up eating the last ¼ to ½ cup of icing by the spoon after I iced the cake, so if you want that little extra chocolate treat while you’re baking, by all means. I also find it’s easiest to do this in a springform pan. Enjoy!

Bruce Bogtrotter’s cake

8 oz good-quality semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate
12 T butter, softened
1 c plus 2 T sugar
1 t vanilla
¼ c flour
6 eggs, separated, yolks lightly beaten
6 oz good-quality semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate
6 oz heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350°. Line 8½" round springform cake pan with parchment paper, and butter the paper and the sides of the pan. Using a Pyrex bowl and a saucepan as a double-boiler so that you can be sure the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl, melt 8 oz chocolate over simmering water. When chocolate is melted, add butter, and stir until melted. Transfer chocolate to a large bowl and add sugar, flour, and lightly beaten egg yolks.

Meanwhile, whisk egg whites until stiff. Gently fold half of whites into chocolate mixture, blending thoroughly, then fold in remaining whites until completely incorporated. Pour batter into the cake pan and bake for 35 minutes. There will be a thin crust on top of the cake, and if tested with a toothpick, the inside will appear undercooked (don’t worry, the cake will firm up as it cools). Remove cake from oven, and let cool in the pan on a wire rack.

While cake is baking and cooling, make the icing. Again using the Pyrex bowl and saucepan as a double-boiler, melt 6 oz chocolate with cream, stirring occasionally until chocolate is fully melted and blended with the cream. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

When the cake is cool enough to handle, remove it carefully from the springform pan. The cake is prone to sinking slightly in the middle, so flip it upside down before icing, if necessary. Carefully spread the chocolate icing all over the cake with a spatula.

HOT! HOT! HOT!

Not! How ‘bout Rainy! Rainy! Rainy! — and at the worst possible point in the summer for me and mine. We went to Hampton Beach for 4 days, rain. We were trying to end the baseball season, rain. We went to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Foxboro Stadium, rain. We went camping at Old Orchard Beach, rain. But I’m not complaining, in fact, I’m turning it to inspiration ... that, combined with the National Blog Posting Month topic of “Hot,” has turned me to “hot” recipes — some new ones and some tried-and-true.

This is one I’ve always loved at a party. They take a little time, so make them up ahead of time, then just heat them at the last minute, and enjoy your guests. Beware, they’re hot!

Cheesy Chicken Pepper Poppers

1 jar hot cherry peppers in vinegar, stems and seeds removed
2 chicken breasts, poached and shredded
6 green onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
12 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2 eggs
3 T heavy cream
1 c Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 T cumin
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine chicken, onions, garlic, cream cheese, eggs, cream, cheese, cumin, salt, and pepper; mix well. Stuff each pepper and place on a baking sheet. (Peppers can be covered and refrigerated at this point, or packaged in an airtight container and frozen for later use.)

When ready to serve, preheat oven to 350°. Place peppers on baking sheet in preheated oven. Bake until filling is puffed and peppers are soft, about 45 minutes. Serve hot.

Brunch, continued

Yesterday I included my Sweet French Toast Strata, but I actually prefer a savory breakfast myself, so I'd serve Bloody Marys or Ruby Red Mimosas, Strawberry-Spinach Salad, and this Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Strata.

Prosciutto and goat cheese strata

18 white bread slices, firm, such as English muffin bread, crusts removed
6 ozs prosciutto, thinly sliced
8 ozs Goat cheese, crumbled
4 ozs Provolone cheese, grated, about 1½ c
¼ c green onion, chopped
1 T dried basil
5 large eggs
2 c milk
1 T Dijon mustard
½ t salt
3 T butter, melted

Line bottom of 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish completely with 1 layer of bread, cutting some slices to fit. Arrange half of prosciutto evenly over bread. Sprinkle half of goat cheese and half of provolone over. Sprinkle with half of green onions and half of basil. Top with second layer of bread. Layer remaining prosciutto, goat cheese, provolone, green onions, and basil atop bread. Cut remaining bread into ¼-inch cubes. Sprinkle over top.

Whisk eggs, milk, mustard, and salt in bowl. Season with pepper. Pour egg mixture over strata; press down on bread with spatula. Drizzle melted butter over strata. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, preheat oven to 350°F. Uncover strata and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Bake until center is set, about 1 hour. Remove from oven. Cut into large squares and serve.

Brunch, the perfect meal

This week the Dunican clan is reconnoitering in Sleepy Hollow, NY, to celebrate Mom & Dad’s 45th wedding anniversary. On the menu for Sunday is brunch, and we like brunch BIG (in part to satisfy our numbers — 14 adults and 17 kids ages 15 to 1; and in part to satify our disparate appetites — picky and not, choco-files and never-ever chocolate-eaters, the sweet breakfast and the savory breakfast). Here’s the menu my sisters and father came up with:

Sweet French Toast Strata
Spiral ham
Baked eggs in ham cups
Hard rolls (that you can only get in greater NYC)
Pastries
Quiche
Cheese plate and rolls
Fruit Salad
Shrimp, Mango, and Apple salad
Blueberry cake or muffins
Sour Cream chocolate chip coffee cake
Anniversary strawberry shortcake
Chocolate mousse cups
Mimosas
OJ
Bloody Marys
V8
Coffee
Tea

For the perfect brunch, I personally think stratas are the perfect brunch food. You prepare them the night before, then just pop them in the oven the day of. Stratas can be sweet or savory. Round out the sweet strata with savory selections hickory smoked bacon and a Caesar salad; or serve the savory strata with sweet maple-cured bacon and Spinach-Strawberry salad.

Here are the two recipes my dad requested of me for this weekend’s celebration.

Sweet French toast strata

2 small loaves raisin bread
1 dozen eggs
1 quart milk
8 oz cream cheese
1 T vanilla extract
1 T cinnamon

Grease 13×9×2-inch glass baking dish. Cube one loaf of bread in the bottom of the baking dish. Slice cream cheese over the bread cubes. Cube the other loaf of bread over the top. Mix together eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour egg mixture over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, preheat oven to 350°. Uncover strata and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Bake until center is set, about 1 hour. Remove from oven. Cut into large squares and serve.

Baked Eggs in Ham Cups

12 slices Black Forest ham
12 large eggs
½ c shredded Asiago cheese
½ t salt
¼ t black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°. Fit 1 slice of ham into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray (ends will stick up and hang over edges of cups). Divide Asiago cheese among cups, then crack 1 egg into each. Bake in middle of oven until whites are cooked but yokes are still runny, about 15 minutes. Season eggs with salt and pepper and remove (with ham) from muffin cups carefully, using two spoons or small spatulas to a platter.

Day-after deviled eggs

OK, we went to my sister's in Poughkeepsie, NY, for Easter weekend, and I left the Easter eggs (for 10 kids!) in our fridge in Newburyport. Now I have 2½ dozen hard-boiled eggs.

What do I do with all those hard-boiled eggs? Deviled eggs! When I make deviled eggs, I don’t follow a recipe, and they’re probably never exactly the same twice, I just throw in mayo (Miracle Whip, usually), mustard (Dijon, usually), horseradish sauce, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and relish, and whatever else I'm in the mood for (curry, dill, parsley, or cilantro?). But, a couple of years ago, I stumbled across a recipe for deviled eggs on epicurious.com. There were pages and pages of feedback from people who had tried the recipe. Who knew deviled eggs could inspire such prose – and opinions? If you can use a laugh, you might want to check it out – it was hysterical!

Peep jousting

Two competitors choose 1 Peep each and place a toothpick “sword” in the Peep’s “belly”.

Place them in the microwave facing one another. Turn the microwave on for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

The Peeps puff up and seem to poke at each other until one (or both) fall over.

Who won?

Eggs-acting facts and eggs-traordinary folklore

Do you know that

• a hen requires 24 to 26 hours to produce an egg? Thirty minutes later, she starts all over again — Wow! She’s a better woman than I.
• the egg shell may have as many as 17,000 tiny pores over its surface and eggs age more in one day at room temperature than in one week in the refrigerator? Keep your eggs fresh and your family healthy by storing your eggs in their original carton in your refrigerator.
• white shelled eggs are produced by hens with white feathers and ear lobes? Brown shelled eggs are produced by hens with red feathers and red ear lobes, so if the “Brown eggs are local eggs and local eggs are fresh” jingle is true, our local hens have red feathers and red ear lobes. In fact, New England is one of the few places in the U.S. where brown eggs are preferred by consumers over white eggs (except at Easter time). Red hens are slightly larger birds and require more food, so brown eggs are often more expensive than white eggs at the supermarket.
• you can tell if an egg is raw or hard-cooked by spinning it? If the egg spins easily, it is hard-cooked, but if it wobbles, it is raw. Because the liquid yolk and white in raw eggs are different densities, they flow from side to side, and wobble, as the egg spins.
• if an egg is accidentally dropped on the floor, you can sprinkle it heavily with salt for easy clean up?
• during the spring equinox (on or about March 21), it is said that an egg will stand on its small end? According to the American Egg Board (aeb.org), some people have reported success, but it is not known whether such results were due to the equinox or to the peculiarities of that particular egg.
• egg yolks are one of the few foods that naturally contain Vitamin D?
• yolk color depends on the diet of the hen. Natural yellow-orange substances such as marigold petals may be added to light-colored feeds to enhance yolk color? Artificial color additives are not permitted by the FDA.
• a young hen may produce an egg with no yolk at all?
• true free-range eggs are those produced by hens raised outdoors or that have daily access to the outdoors? Due to seasonal conditions, however, few hens are actually raised outdoors. Some egg farms are indoor floor operations and these are sometimes erroneously referred to as free-range operations. Due to higher production costs and lower volume per farm, free-range eggs are generally more expensive. The nutrient content of eggs is not affected by whether hens are raised free-range or in floor or cage operations.
• no commercial laying hen feed ever contain hormones?
• a blood (or “meat”) spot occasionally found on an egg yolk is caused by the rupture of a blood vessel on the yolk surface when it’s being formed or by a similar accident while the egg is being laid?
• in late-nineteenth-century Germany, eggs were used as birth certificates? The newborn’s name and birth date were etched into the shell of a dyed egg, and courts honored these “IDs” as proof of age and identity.
• the term “egg money” originated before World War II, when most eggs were produced by small flocks that scratched their way around the barnyard; the farmer’s wife usually supervised the operation and the money received from the sale of the eggs was considered hers?
• eggs were originally colored, blessed, exchanged, and eaten as part of the rites of spring long before Christian times? Even the earliest civilizations held springtime festivals to welcome the sun’s rising from its long winter sleep. They thought of the sun’s return from darkness as an annual miracle and regarded the egg as a natural wonder and a proof of the renewal of life.
• in the Jewish tradition, a roasted egg on the Passover Seder plate has stood for life and the hope of salvation for many, many centuries
• in Christianity, the Easter Egg is a symbol of Christ’s Resurrection from the tomb?
• for centuries, eggs were among the foods forbidden by the church during Lent, so it was a special treat to have them again at Easter? In Slavic countries, baskets of food including eggs are traditionally taken to church to be blessed on Holy Saturday or before the Easter midnight Mass, then taken home for a part of Easter breakfast. In Newburyport, Fr. Marc Piché from Immaculate Conception Church will visit your home to bless your food if you call the rectory and make an appointment.
• many countries continue the age-old ritual of egg-tapping? My husband’s family is Lebanese, and they call it “fey-hees” (note: phonetic spelling only). Two opponents choose an egg and hold it in their fist, leaving only the tip exposed. Then they tap the eggs, one against the other. The one finishing with an unbroken egg wins, and continues to challenge other opponents. (The trick is protecting as much of the egg as possible with your fingers.)
• in China, parents might give family members and friends a red-dyed egg to announce the birth of a child?
• Germans use green eggs as a symbol of mourning on Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday)?
• during the Renaissance in Italy, romantic young men tossed empty eggshells filled with perfume or cologne at young women? The custom spread to Austria, France, and Spain. Later, in Mexico, empty eggshells were filled with confetti and used to make wishes. The eggshells, called cascarones, are still used today at Easter and for other happy occasions.
• for a special celebration, Japanese parents give their children eggs that are decorated to look just like the children?

Decorating eggs
People in central European countries have a long tradition of elaborately decorated Easter eggs. Polish, Slavic, and Ukrainian people create amazingly intricate designs on the eggs. They draw lines with a wax pencil or stylus, dip the egg in color and repeat the process many times to make true works of art. Every dot and line in the pattern has a meaning. Yugoslavian Easter eggs bear the initials “XV” for “Christ is Risen,” a traditional Easter greeting.

You can use Easter egg dye available in the supermarkets and drug stores at this time of year, food coloring packages also have tables on the side for getting great bright colors. A while back, I read about coloring eggs with natural materials and gave it a try. In theory, you will get the following colors from the following materials: Pink-red – fresh beets, cranberries, radishes, or frozen raspberries; orange – yellow onion skins; light yellow – orange or lemon peels, carrot tops, celery seed, or ground cumin; yellow – ground turmeric; light green – spinach; green-gold – yellow delicious apple peels; blue – canned blueberries or red cabbage leaves; beige-brown – strong brewed coffee; brown-gold – dill seeds; brown-orange – chili powder; grey – purple or red grape juice or beet juice. I did not try all of these, but the ones I did try did not have brightly colored results – and it was a pretty expensive experiment.

According to marthastewart.com, you can die eggs with silk neck ties.

1. Cut silk into a square (or a piece) large enough to wrap around a raw egg.
2. Wrap a raw egg with a piece of silk, making sure the printed side of the material is facing the egg. Silk can still be used if it doesn't fit perfectly around egg.
3. Place the silk-wrapped egg in a piece of old white sheet, white pillowcase, or white tablecloth and secure tightly with a twist-tie.
4. Place the egg(s) in an enamel, glass, or coated metal pot (a metal pot will react with the vinegar, causing the solution to become cloudy, and your eggs not as vibrant). Fill pot with water to cover eggs completely. Then, add three tablespoons of white vinegar.
5. Bring water to a boil, turn heat down, and simmer for 20 minutes (longer if you plan on eating the eggs).
6. Remove eggs from water with tongs or spoon and let cool.
7. Remove fabric from cooled egg.
8. For shiny eggs, wipe with vegetable oil.

Silk can be reused on eggs.

Before decorating eggs, you can either hard-boil them or blow the egg out of the egg shell. If you use blown-out eggshells, you can use them again and again. If you use hard-boiled eggs as a centerpiece or decoration, they will be out of refrigeration for hours, or even days. You should not eat eggs that have been cracked during coloring or while out, and you should not eat eggs that have been at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Cook extra eggs to refrigerate for eating and discard the eggs that have been left out as a decoration.

Either way, if eggs are to be dyed, washing them in a mild detergent solution helps to remove the oil coating so that the color adheres more evenly.

To blow out an eggshell, first, wash and dry the egg. Prick with a long needle to make a small hole in the small end of the egg and a large hole in the large end of the egg (probably about ¼"). Stick the needle into the yolk to break it.

Then, either shake the egg large-end-down over a cup or bowl until the contents come out. you can also use a baster to pull out the contents or an ear syringe to “blow” them out. If the contents don’t come out easily, insert the needle again and move it around to be sure both the shell membranes and yolk are broken. Rinse the shell under cool running water and let it dry. Be careful when decorating empty shells – they’re quite fragile.

The contents can be used in any thoroughly cooked recipe which calls for mixed yolks and whites. Label containers in which you store the insides of these eggshells with the number of eggs they contain. Use them immediately in a fully cooked dish or freeze them for later use. Most baked dishes such as casseroles, custards, quiches, cakes or breads are good uses for eggs emptied from their shells.

To hard-boil eggs, place eggs in single layer in saucepan. Add enough tap water to come at least 1 inch above eggs. Cover. Quickly bring just to boiling. Turn off heat. If using an electric stove, remove pan from burner to prevent further boiling. Let eggs stand, covered, in the hot water about 15 minutes for large eggs (12 minutes for medium, 18 for extra large). Immediately run cold water over eggs or place them in ice water until completely cooled.