Keep Chickens!: Tending Small Flocks in Cities, Suburbs and Other Small Spaces (18 page)
Read Keep Chickens!: Tending Small Flocks in Cities, Suburbs and Other Small Spaces Online
Authors: Barbara Kilarski
Tags: #chickens, #health, #care, #poultry, #raising, #city, #urban, #housing, #keeping, #farming, #eggs, #chicks, #chicken, #hen, #rooster
A fresh egg stands out in color, flavor, and consistency. The yolks are a dark, rich orange-yellow. That’s because urban chickens, unlike their commercial cousins, get lots of greens and other produce containing beta-carotene, which gives fresh yolks that brilliant orange hue. Both yolk and white stand firm in a pan. The flavor is rich and robust.
My first fresh garden-grown egg was fried in a dab of butter and seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper. The yolk, when gently forked, casually oozed out like sweet orange lava. It was incredible. The next fresh egg to grace my plate was soft boiled. I ate it in the same way I did when I was a kid, with a little salt and pepper in each bite, dipping toasted, buttery bread into the warm yolk.
With a continual bounty on hand, I’ve been amenable to tasting my fresh eggs with something other than salt, pepper, and butter. Here are a few of my favorite egg recipes, all of them real simple to allow the tasteful splendor of fresh eggs to shine through.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 egg
- 2 slices bread (your favorite)
- 1 slice Cheddar or Swiss cheese
- 1 sausage patty or strip of bacon, cooked
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a nonstick frying pan, melt the butter on medium heat. Crack the egg into the pan. Toast the bread. Put the cheese on one slice of toast, then cover with the other slice to gently melt the cheese. When the egg is cooked the way you like, slide it onto the slice of bread with the cheese on it. Top with the sausage patty, add salt and pepper to taste, and cover with the remaining toast slice. Cut the sandwich in half to serve.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1
⁄
2
cup milk - Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1
⁄
4
cup chopped onion - 1 cup cooked rice, warm
- 4 corn tortillas
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 4 slices bacon or 4 sausage links, cooked and cut into 1-inch pieces
- Salsa
- Sour cream
- Pickled jalapeños, sliced
- Cilantro, washed, dried, and chopped
In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and add salt and pepper to taste. In a nonstick frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter on medium heat. Add the onion and cook 3 minutes. Add the egg mixture to the pan, and scramble the eggs. Remove the eggs from the heat and transfer them to a bowl until ready to assemble the quesadilla.
Melt the remaining butter in the frying pan. Add one tortilla at a time, cooking both sides of each until golden (about 1 minute per side). Drain on paper towels. Place one tortilla on each of four dinner plates. Top with
1
⁄
4
cup of the cheese, then rice, one-quarter of the scrambled eggs, the bacon or sausage, and the condiments.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1
⁄
2
–
3
⁄
4
cup milk - Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1
⁄
2
cup chopped onion - 1
⁄
4
cup chopped jalapeños - 4 flour tortillas (10 inches or larger)
- 1
⁄
2
cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese - Salsa or hot sauce
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Cilantro, washed, dried, and chopped
In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the milk (more milk for fluffy eggs, less for denser eggs) and add salt and pepper to taste. In a nonstick frying pan, cook the bacon on medium heat to your liking. Drain the bacon on a paper towel. Discard the grease and wipe the pan. Add the butter to the pan and melt on medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook about 3 minutes. Add the jalapeños and cook another 3 minutes, stirring the mixture to prevent sticking. Add the egg mixture and lower the heat to medium. As the eggs cook, use a spatula or wooden spoon to raise the cooked areas of eggs, and tilt the pan to direct uncooked eggs to the raised area. If you want fluffy eggs, don’t disturb the cooking eggs too much. If you like them scrambled dry, mix thoroughly. Cook the eggs until they’re done and remove them from the heat.
Put a flour tortilla on a plate. Sprinkle one-fourth of the grated cheese in its center. Immediately cover the cheese with one-fourth of the cooked eggs. Add the bacon and condiments. Roll the burrito closed and serve. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 2 English muffins, split
- 4 slices ham or Canadian bacon
- Hollandaise Sauce (see recipe below)
- Paprika or dill
In a large, shallow skillet, bring 1 inch of water to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer. Crack one egg into a shallow glass dish. Begin toasting half of a muffin. Gently slide the egg into the simmering water. Heat the ham in a frying pan while the egg is poaching, 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove the muffin from the toaster and set it on a plate. Place the hot ham on the muffin. Use a slotted spoon to remove the egg from the skillet, and set the egg on the ham. Top with a generous ladle of hollandaise sauce and sprinkle with paprika or dill. Repeat for remaining servings.
Ingredients
- 3 egg yolks
- 2–3 tablespoons lemon juice
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1
⁄
2
cup unsalted butter, melted - 1–2 tablespoons water
- Hot sauce
In the top half of a double boiler (or a stainless-steel bowl that sits in a pot of water, water not touching the bottom of the bowl), whisk the egg yolks with the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste, until the mixture is pale yellow. Remove from the heat and whisk in the melted butter, a little at a time, until thoroughly blended and smooth. Add water to achieve the desired thickness and hot sauce to taste. Keep on very low heat and stir occasionally until needed.
Ingredients
- 6 eggs (at least 1 week old)
- 1
⁄
4
cup mayonnaise - 1
⁄
3
cup sour cream - 1 tablespoon relish
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon horseradish
- 1–2 dashes hot sauce
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Paprika or cayenne pepper
Place the whole eggs in a 2-quart pan and cover with cold water. Heat on high until boiling, then reduce the heat to medium-high and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain off the hot water. Rinse the eggs with cold water several times, and fill the pan with cold water to cool them. When they have cooled, peel off the shells.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Pop the yolks into the bowl. Place the egg white halves on a plate, hole side up. Mash the yolks and mix them thoroughly with the mayonnaise mixture. Add more mayonnaise or sour cream for a creamier mixture. Using a teaspoon or pastry bag, fill the egg white halves with the yolk mixture. Sprinkle each egg with a dash of paprika or cayenne. Serve chilled.
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1
⁄
2
cup extra-virgin olive oil - Anchovies (half of a small can, drained)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 head romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and torn into pieces
- 1
⁄
2
cup grated fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese - Croutons (see recipe below)
Coddle the egg (boil it for 30 to 60 seconds).
In a food processor or blender, combine the garlic, mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, and anchovies and chop fine. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the coddled egg and salt and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth. Pour half of the dressing into a large bowl. Add the lettuce and toss. Add additional dressing as needed to coat the lettuce. Add the cheese and croutons. Toss thoroughly and serve.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Oregano and basil
- 2 slices bread (any kind), cut into 1-inch pieces
- Salt
Heat the oven to 350° F. Heat the oil on medium heat in a nonstick frying pan. Add oregano and basil to taste. When the oil is hot, add the bread squares. Season the tops of the bread with salt to taste. Turn to cook both sides until golden brown. Put the toasted cubes onto a cookie sheet, and place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the croutons are crispy.
For the Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1
⁄
4
teaspoon salt - 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2–3 tablespoons water
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1
⁄
4
cup half-and-half - Dill
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 cup grated Swiss cheese
- 1 cup cooked asparagus
- 8 ounces Italian sausage, cooked and drained
Heat the oven to 350° F. Combine the flour, salt, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle beater. Beat on low for about 4 minutes, until crumbly. Add the water to form the dough. Press the dough into a 10- to 12-inch quiche pan with a removable bottom (or, in a pinch, a pie pan will do). Bake 12 minutes, remove from the oven, and set aside to cool.
Heat the oven to 350° F. Whisk together the eggs, milk, and half-and-half. Add the dill, salt, and pepper to taste. Spread the cheese on the bottom of the cooled crust, then top with the asparagus and sausage. Pour the egg mixture over the crust contents. Bake 30 minutes or until the quiche appears set. Cool for 10 minutes and serve.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the pan
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus extra for sprinkling
- 1
1
⁄
4
cups sugar - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 1
⁄
2
teaspoon baking soda - 1
⁄
2
teaspoon salt
Heat the oven to 325° F. Butter a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan, then coat the pan with flour, shaking out any excess. Make sure the eggs are at room temperature. If the eggs are cold, cover them with warm water for 3 minutes.
Place the butter in a large mixing bowl; beat until creamy. Add the sugar a quarter cup at a time while beating with an electric mixer on medium until thoroughly blended. Mix in the vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the butter mixture and blend well after each addition. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and spread evenly. Bake 1 hour or until a wooden skewer comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the pan, then on a wire rack.
Chocolate chips
— add a couple of handfuls.
Lemon
— add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and
1
⁄
4
teaspoon lemon zest.
Orange
— add 1 tablespoon orange juice and
1
⁄
4
teaspoon orange zest.
Buttermilk-pecan
— add 1 cup buttermilk, 1 cup flour, and
1
⁄
4
cup chopped pecans.
Whiskey-walnut
— add
1
⁄
4
cup whiskey,
1
⁄
4
cup flour,
1
⁄
4
cup walnuts, and
1
⁄
4
cup raisins.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the pan
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate squares, broken in half
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, Kahlua, or whiskey
- 8 eggs, separated
- 3
⁄
4
cup sugar - 1
⁄
2
cup raspberry jam - Chocolate Ganache (see next recipe)
Heat the oven to 325° F. Liberally grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter. In the top half of a double boiler (or a stainless-steel bowl that sits in a pot of water, water not touching the bottom of the bowl), melt the butter and chocolate, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.
With an electric mixer, beat the 8 egg yolks with the sugar on high speed until the mixture is pale yellow. In a separate bowl, beat 4 of the egg whites on high speed until firm peaks form. Discard the remaining four whites. Fold the chocolate mixture into the yolk mixture. Add one-third of the egg whites, incorporating them thoroughly. Fold in the remaining egg whites. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto a plate. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Top the chilled cake with a thin, even layer of raspberry jam. Refrigerate for another hour. When the jam is chilled on the cake, pour the warm ganache over the top and sides of the cake. Serve immediately, or after chilling for 15 minutes.