Two Worth an Eaten Egg

Two Worth an Eaten Egg

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ccording to Russian folk belief, eggs — as opposed to chicken, the end product of eggs — were not considered fit for a serious meal, but just a fancy foodstuff. Hence the famous Russian proverb üȈ‡ ÍÛËˆÛ Ì ۘ‡Ú (“eggs don’t teach the hen,” i.e., the young should not teach the elderly). Of something superfluous and insignificant, Russians would say Ç˚‰ÂÌÌÓ„Ó flȈ‡ Ì ÒÚÓËÚ (“it is not worth an eaten egg”).

Although Russian cooks appreciated eggs for their ability to bind different foodstuffs, lighten cakes and sweet breads, and clarify broth, they rarely made separate egg dishes. But gradually the attitude of local cooks toward eggs began to change. In a famous fairytale, a hen lays a golden egg for an old peasant couple. Not knowing what to do with the egg, they end up watching a mouse push it with her tail. The egg falls and breaks, but the hen consoles the ded and baba by promising to lay a regular egg insted of a golden one. 

By the mid-nineteenth century cooks were making omelets and scrambled eggs, and using hollowed-out egg shells as elegant containers for fruit jellies and other fillings. Symbolic of new life, eggs were eaten by Russians mainly in springtime, during such holidays as maslenitsa, the butter festival preceding the Lenten fast, and Easter. In fact, exchanging eggs at Easter became an important tradition, which eventually resulted — for the nobility at least — in the exchange of exquisite eggs crafted of enamel and precious stones, such as those made famous by Fabergé. 

Here we offer two easy and typical appetizers made from eggs. Both are definitely worth their salt! Fresh vegetables and black bread accompany both nicely. A shot of genuine Russian vodka is obyazatelno (required) — lift your stuffed egg (or slice of black bread slathered with Egg & Cheese Salad) in one hand, an icy shot of vodka in the other. 

Need we say more? 

CAVIAR STUFFED EGGS

Hard boil 8 eggs and let them cool. Remove the shells and slice off the upper third of each egg. With a small spoon carefully remove the yolk from each egg. Place 2-3 teaspoons of black or red caviar in the hollow left by the yolk, using just enough caviar to cover the top of the egg without allowing it to spill over.

Russian cooks use both black and red caviars for this dish. Black caviar yields a classic taste, while eggs stuffed with red caviar are more piquant.

EGG & CHEESE SALAD

You may have been wondering what you would do with eight boiled yolks? Our second appetizer includes a healthy dose of garlic (whose praises we will sing in a later column) and fresh gouda or edam cheese. The normal recipe, as shown below, calls for five whole eggs. You can replace this with the eight yolks and one-two whole eggs (depending on the size) to get very much the same flavor. 

5 medium hard boiled eggs, room temperature (or use 5 hard-boiled egg yolks plus 1-2 whole eggs), chopped 

1⁄2 lb Edam or Gouda cheese, grated fine

4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 tsp minced fresh parsley

2 tsp minced fresh dill (or 3/4 tsp dried)

1⁄4 cup mayonaise (or less to taste)

Salt and freshly ground glack pepper

Sprigs of parsley and dill

After boiling the eggs, let them cool to room temperature. Mix all the ingredients together, adding the mayonaisse last to get a consistency you like (we have found it better on the “dry” side, so go slowly with the mayonnaise). Garnish with fresh parsley or dill. Serves four.