Monday, 6 April 2015

In praise of the humble egg



Yesterday I listened to “The Food Programme” (BBC Radio 4).  It was essentially about the wonder of eggs. Apparently they are once more a recommended food stuff, full of vitamins & proteins.

I couldn’t help thinking I’ve never been off eggs. To me they are an essential in the kitchen. I may not use as many as I used to, but that is because I no longer bother to make puddings.

It’s their sheer versatility that always appealed to me. Even served straightforwardly as an egg they taste & appear so different, depending on whether they’re fried, boiled, poached, scrambled, coddled or as an omelette. But there are so many other uses.

Even today I’ve just used a couple. We’re having Pork Rissoles for dinner, using up some leftover roast pork. One egg went into the rissoles mix to bind it all together; the other egg was used to glue the breadcrumbs on.

When I think of desserts I’m reminded of Bread & Butter Puddings, Rice Meringues (orange or lemon), sponge puds of all descriptions, Apple Amber, Queen of Puddings, Custard, Floating Islands... I also made cakes & scones for afters, also using eggs.

Eggs give an extra creaminess to mashed potatoes. They are essential for fabulous sauces such as hollandaise & mayonnaise. Or for an egg sauce to accompany leftover ham in savoury pancakes. Even pancakes themselves.

I suppose I have to admit, too, they are relatively inexpensive. And so when money was tight we lived on Savoury Soufflés, Floddies (a sort of small bacon fritter), rissoles, croquettes & pancakes to use up leftovers, Curried Eggs, Eggs in Onion Sauce, Tagliatelle alla Carbonara, quiches & flans, to name but a few.

No, we panic if there isn’t an egg in the house. It’s just such a staple for snacks as well as meals. I can’t imagine not using at least a few every week.

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