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300-minute eggs November 1, 2007
With the days lengthening and the prospect of summery evenings outdoors, it’s good to be putting lamb shanks, casseroles and other cool weather fare behind us. The sweet, short asparagus season always instills a sense of optimism and we’ve been enjoying luscious fast spears with a squeeze of lemon juice or bunches of thin spears encircled in prosciutto and flash-roasted. Casual dining outdoors offers a chance to put together a plate of snacks to enjoy with a crisp white wine, perhaps followed by a barbecued steak and a simple tossed salad.
Probably the most important thing with this recipe is obtaining some really fresh eggs. I bought a dozen large free range eggs at a local farmers’ market and they were excellent candidates. Traditionally these Sephardic eggs are left in the embers of a fire to cook slowly, or are nestled in sand in a baker’s oven. Not having access to either romantic mode of cooking, I had to settle for my regular oven but the results were very appealing. During the long, slow roast, the eggs take on a delicious nutty flavour and turn a beautiful brown colour. A tangy anchovy sauce finishes the dish. Here’s how I made them. Allow 2-3 halves per person. 300-minute eggs fresh free range eggs at room temperature Preheat oven to 100C. Place the eggs in warm water to bring them to room temperature then put them directly onto a wire oven tray and let them cook for five hours. During this time you might see little beads form on the eggs as the albumen comes through the shell. At the end of cooking time, place the eggs in a bowl of cold water for five minutes then taken them out and remove the shells. Allow to cool. Meanwhile crush a clove of garlic in a mortar and then pound in the anchovies. Mix in the lemon juice and a little ground white pepper when gradually whisk in sufficient olive oil to make a creamy emulsion. Check seasoning, adding more lemon juice to taste if necessary. Halve or quarter the eggs and drizzle with the anchovy sauce. Footnote: After this recipe appeared in New Zealand newspapers during the week, I received an email from a newspaper reader in the South Island who said it brought back wonderful memories of her 16-month working holiday in Israel. She wrote: "I lived and worked in the Negev Desert, about 10 minutes from the Gaza Strip. The work was growing tomatoes in sand in shade houses. The plants were fertilized by the water piped from the Sea of Galilee. The farmer was a Yemenite Jew and his wife a school principal origionally from Bulgaria. A wonderful couple who were more than willing to share their faith, culture, customs, time etc with this Kiwi. "The Shabat meal was a wonderful experience I shared with the family most Fridays. Tamar's cooking was incredible - interesting, exotic, tasty and nourishing. We often went on picnics to historic sites I had read about in National Geographic and/or in Testament stories. The food would just appear. Tamar always included on the table these 300 minute eggs and I just adored them. They were always served with a tomato sauce - I picked the tomatoes and she would grate them, add a little salt and pepper and her very hot chilli paste. Yummm!! "Shalom, her husband, would tell stories of cooking the eggs overnight in the embers of the fires at home in Yemen and in the desert during his family's escape from Yemen. These times (and food) were also shared with the nomadic Bedouin of the area. Thank you for reminding me of these amazing people and places." Thank you, Liz, for sharing your memories. Food is definitely an international language!
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Recently I came across an interesting recipe for 300-minute eggs from
Morocco. The original appeared in Paula Wolfert’s book, The Slow
Mediterranean Kitchen. Now 300 minutes of cooking for an egg, really
is taking things slowly but I am always up for a challenge.Email | ©2008 Churchill Communications