L'oeuf

So again, Happy Easter! Or Passover weekend, or just Happy Spring! I could write a post about how Easter, and spring, is all about rebirth, re-emergence into the world after the dark of winter, but I'd rather just talk about my favorite part of Easter, espcially the most notable, the Easter Egg. Egg hunts, cascarones, painting eggs, even the word, Easter and Egg just go hand in hand. So long after we've outgrown the hunts and the painting (or at least should've outgrown them... Mom) what remains is the best part, the edible Easter Egg which for my family is in the form of deviled eggs.

Sriracha deviled eggs with the pickled swiss chard stems

Growing up, I always thought of deviled eggs as something bland, like egg salad that is only half done, but one Easter one of my Mom's friends, a French woman, stopped by to drop off some Easter goodies and with them she included her interpretation of Texas deviled eggs. The yolk was mashed with mayo, but all similarities to typical eggs ended there. There was chili powder, a bite of Dijon mustard, cilantro, and tiny chopped shallots throughout that provided a nice bite. And from then on I was sold.

Wasabi deviled Eggs

I've come a long way since then, experimenting and most times just throwing together what I had handy in my fridge. Did I mention they're a great food for the starving artist? Really just some condiments and some eggs... and food fit for an aristocrat. There's been relish, chopped red onions, smoked paprika, horseradish, ketchup, pestos, all kinds of mustard's... and in every batch I've found there's really no wrong way to do them... my Dad even suggested I do them with anchovies.

So I'll give you 2 different kinds, the sriracha deviled eggs with pickled swiss chard stems I made a week ago and my little sister's wasabi deviled eggs. When I saw the sriracha eggs featured on The Wednesday Chef's link love, from a new favorite blog, I couldn't wait until Easter to make them... and as I was planning to break my vegan fast anyways for a dinner party, ended up making these little pretties as an appetizer. And I find rainbow chard stems so pretty, but besides for vegetable stock they're fairly useless, and I'll usually throw them away (or compost if you can- I can't sadly), so I was very excited to find an edible use for them that got me back into my pickling kick.

Sriracha Deviled Eggs with Pickled Swiss Chard Stems
3 eggs
1/2 Tbl sriracha (rooster sauce)
1 Tbl mayonnaise
1 tsp mustard- I used horseradish, which may be too much of a kick, but a mild Dijon would work nicely

1. Hard boil eggs and let cool completely. Peel and slice lengthwise. Remove yolks and put in small bowl. Combine with all other ingredients above and mash until yolk mixture is almost creamy. Delicately spoon mixture back into the egg white shells. I lightly dusted the tops with smoked paprika.

Too pretty to just throw away

For the Pickled Stems:
2-3 stalks red Swiss chard
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

1. Trim swiss chard ends. I also slit them down the middle too, especially if they were thick. I used hot, but not boiling water, and combined with the vinegar, sugar and salt. I put them all into a Tupperware container and shook a few times to combine, then added the stems and threw into the fridge to sit and cool. When ready, I diced into tiny pieces and topped the eggs.

I used the stems about 2 hours after making and could definitely taste the pickling but after 24 hours I'm sure they'd be even better. Would be great crunch for a dip, to added eggs, tacos, salads, sandwiches, etc.

Wasabi Deviled Eggs
3 eggs
2 Tbl mayonnaise
1 tsp wasabi
1 green onion, thinly sliced

1. Hardboil eggs, cool and peel. Slice lengthwise and remove yolks to bowl. Combine yolks with other ingredients and mash until almost creamy. Spoon back into shells and top with sliced green onion.