Tag Archives: Lunch

October 8, 2012 · 11:00 am

Fall in Love with Sardines, Save Dinner

Bela Sardines. Photo by James Ransom for Food52

Bela Sardines. Photo by James Ransom for Food52

When I was a wee little one, I remember my dad coming in from an afternoon tending to his garden and popping open a can of sardines for lunch. Curious about these little guys, I was not. Usually his offer to share a bite was met with a prompt and firm “ewwwww, no.”

It’s taken me 30 years to question why these cans of conveniently packed, flavorful little fiddies get such a bum rap. I don’t think twice when cranking a can of tuna open to save the day when I have nothing in the fridge for lunch. I recently read an article by Nicholas Day on Food52 speaking the praises of sardines — in his case because it conveniently saves dinner in a pinch for his own children. He feeds his kids sardines? This made me take pause. Well why not.

And then I was contacted by BELA Sardines to see if their cans of fresh-packed {within 8 hours of being caught and never frozen} Portuguese sardines would be something we would be interested in selling in the Food52 shop. We popped a few cans open at the office, broke out the crackers and started snacking. They were good — really, really good. Each is slightly smoked and packed in either Portuguese extra virgin olive oil or tomato sauce {4 flavors to choose from}. Beyond just the flavor, there are other reasons to love these little guys — they’re low-mercury, sustainably caught, and full of healthy fats. They are a pantry staple everyone should pile high.

I’m a convert. To be perfectly honest, I would be happy opening a can of these, pouring a nice glass of wine and calling that alone a mid-week meal. But it doesn’t take much to use them in a slightly more creative way, with still minimal effort, and have a dish to be proud of. Go ahead, give sardines a chance — you may be surprised by a new love.

Need a Little Inspiration?
Linguine with Sardines, Fennel & Tomato
Sardines, Avocado and Radish Salad with Upland Cress
Sardine Butter

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June 14, 2012 · 10:00 am

recipe goodness :: egg on egg salad {introducing bottarga}

egg on egg salad sandwich

egg on egg salad sandwich

Ok this is a totally spectacular way to amp up an otherwise standard mid-week lunch. Egg salad: meet your new friend bottarga, also known as poor man’s caviar. Stop. Keep reading. This is not caviar. Bottarga is a delicacy beloved by those salty Italians, but has been finding its way more recently onto U.S. restaurant menus. Shaved over pasta, pizza and yes, even eggs, this salt-cured, sun-dried mullet roe is the perfect way to add the saltiness of the sea to a dish with very little effort. It comes pressed into a hard form that can be swiped along your microplane to finish a dish like a fine pecorino or can be slid along a mandolin for more decadent paper-thin slices that become a central addition to your plate. Lucky for us there is now an American-produced Cortez bottarga that you can get your hands on from Anna Maria Fish Company.

Egg on egg means business. With a little creamy mayo and peppery dijon to bind the this salad together, all I did was toss in a few radish leaves {no you should not throw those out when you buy radishes — they have amazing flavor!} and green scallions for color and a contrasting herby flavor. Then zested some salty bottarga over top to make this standard lunch truck sammie a true stand-out.

The goods

The egg on egg goods {bottarga lower left}

Egg on Egg Salad

Serves 1

2-3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and  roughly chopped
1/2 tablespoon mayo
1 teaspoon dijon
1/2 small scallion diced {or 2-3 chives}
4-5 radish leaves, washed and julienned
Pepper to taste
Bottarga for grating
Good crusty bread

  1. Roughly chop your eggs. I often remove one of the yolks to cut back on the dry bits.
  2. Toss everything, except the bottarga in a bowl, reserving some scallions for topping later.
  3. Add more of anything you desire, then serve in a bowl or on top of a toasted piece of bread.
  4. Sprinkle with some scallions for giggles and then grate your bottarga across the top, adding as much or as little as your salty italian desires.
  5. Sit down and be amazed by your revamped american favorite.

Other Ways to Jazz Standards:
Blueberry, Lemon & Coconut Pancakes
Herbed Buttermilk Biscuits
Cumin & Dill Dijon Egg Salad with Radish Sprouts
Creole Roasted Fresh Corn-Tomato Salsa

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December 5, 2011 · 10:32 am

Curly’s Comfortable Quirky {and Vegetarian} Cafe

Curly's Coloring Wall

Sometimes you just want a good lunch spot that doesn’t involve greasy burgers or burritos. Thanks to a lovely lunch with a vegetarian friend I was introduced to Curly’s, a new meat-free twist on the classic diner menu. Before you run in the other direction, let me assure you it’s not just all lettuce and celery sticks.

Curly’s was originally a cafe that opened in 1927 in Manchester, NH and served the locals a traditional menu of bacon & eggs, meatloaf & beans, among other hearty items. Inspired by the comfort quotient, but with the desire to lighten the fare, a new kind of Curly’s was opened in Manhattan to rave reviews.

As you scroll down the menu you’ll see sections for burgers and burritos, which may make you take pause with the understanding that this was supposed to be vegetarian. But upon closer examination you’ll notice the items listed include a fauxphilly cheesesteak, crabfake po’ boy or a TLT sandwich {made of tofu bacon, lettuce, tomato and soy nayo, naturally}. No, these are not typos, but clever riffs on classics. Sure, you may need to swallow your protein pride in favor of tofu and soy, but I promise that these items do not fall short on flavor or satisfaction…or a sense of humor for that matter.

The Skim: Beyond just the comfort of the menu, Curly’s is cozied by the placemat art wallpapering its sunshine yellow walls. Each one-of-a-kind has been designed by patrons while they patiently wait for lunch, making use of the crayons that grace each table alongside the salt and pepper. Curly’s is a place with personality and it won’t leave you in a post-noon food coma — a refreshingly recast dining option.

Map: 328 East 14th {Btw 1st and 2nd ave}
Reservations: Not Taken
Phone: 212.598.9998

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January 21, 2011 · 9:32 am

Gone Fish. ‘in Sausalito

 

Fish. Dungeness Crab Sandwich

Fish., a sustainable seafood restaurant and fish market in Sausalito, shows sometimes nature’s simplicity is all you need. The chalkboard menu hung over the open kitchen lists the selections of the day and features “f/v” beside each dish, prominently naming the fishing vessel responsible for your fresh catch. Well that’s a glowing idea.

The doors opened for lunch at 11:30am and it was not long before the line was easily 20 people strong and continued to grow with the lunch hour rush. People will wait for good food and Fish. {so says the name} is good food period.  It’s crab season in San Fran, so it didn’t take much reflection to decide to bite into the dungeness crab roll.  This delight was served on a slightly sweet and fluffy brioche roll that was no doubt swiped generously with butter and toasted face down on the grill, before being stuffed with perfectly seasoned crab that did nothing more than slightly accentuate the sweet, natural flavor of the main catch. With a Ball jar of pinot grigio and a side of salty fries, I had the makings of a fantastic mid-week lunch with my brother. As it turns out Fish. was also the location of my brother’s first date with his now wife – I guess they don’t say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach for nothing.

The Skim: Looking to clear out of the food fog? Head on out to Sausalito for a taste of what fresh food should be all about. Weather permitting you can enjoy your catch at one of the picnic tables overlooking the marina – just be aware of jealous seagulls who want a bite of Fish.

Other SF Catches:
SF Best: Nopa
SF Best: RoliRoti Rolls Out Revolutionary Rotisserie
Blue Bottle Coffee Brews One Brilliant Cup at a Time

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October 11, 2010 · 9:07 am

New York City Wine & Food Festival Kicked Off With Good Eats

Chelsea Market After Dark

New York City Wine & Food Festival kicked off Thursday night with several star-studded events attracting celebrity chefs, industry big-wigs and foodies for a weekend long line-up of good food for a good cause. The weekend is jam packed with 120 day and nighttime events, seminars, demos, book signings and dinners with up close access and to some of the biggest culinary names and their tasty creations. The best part about it all {besides this being foodie heaven} is that 100% of net proceeds go directly to Food Bank for New York City and Share Our Strength, two community-based organizations focused on helping to fight hunger — allowing us to literally put our money where our mouth is.

Alton Brown Sock Puppet Blue Print

What better way to launch into a series of eating and drinking events, than by attending the Chelsea Market After Dark event hosted by Food Network great and host of Good Eats, Alton Brown. Every single business operating out of Chelsea Market also showed up with some of their tastiest creations to design an evening centered around an assortment of flavors and bites for foodies to sample as they socialized through the halls of the former Nabisco factory, which is now home to some of NY’s best specialty food shops.

Alton Brown, looking awfully fit and sharp in his corduroy jacket, hosted his own mini-bash amongst some of his set props and scientific paraphernalia, generously mingling and taking photos with the crowd. As fans inched in around him, I jumped in for an intro and took the opportunity to learn a few things worth sharing:

Favorite Kitchen Utensil: His Brain
Most Important Dish to Learn for New Cooks: Eggs {I agree!}
Favorite Spice: Cumin {have you tried my cumin egg salad recipe Alton? We might be new friends}
Favorite Recipe: Whatever his wife makes {always a good answer}

Alton Assuring Me He'll Attend My Next 8.ate@eight Supper Club

Know Your Beef

A True Chemist

Taste Buds Dissected

Chelsea Market is one of my favorite places to shop, with everything from bakeries and farmstand meats to an olive oil filling station and kitchen supply store, there is no shortage of places you can stop in to pick up the makings for a weekday dinner or artisanal products for a unique gift. After hangin’ with Alton’s whimsical puppets and props we explored the rest of the market for other worthy discoveries. Lots to taste, but here are some highlights:

The Lobster Place: Fresh shucked oysters
One of my favorite places to pick up fresh fish or seafood — they have a huge selection of whole, filleted and pre-seasoned fiddies, the prices are reasonable and there is a chowder and sushi bar for a quicker bite when cooking is not an option.

The Lobster Place Shuckin' Oysters

Pure Food and Wine: Pinot Noir Pepper Tarts with Cashew Cheese, Caramelized Shallot and Black Trumpet Mushrooms
Don’t run away when I tell you Pure prepares only raw-vegan and organic food. They are doing things with fresh ingredients that would make you believe magical cooking techniques were involved, but in fact everything they serve you has not been cooked. The flavors are extraordinary, the presentation beautiful and you don’t leave feeling in need of undoing a button or two.  I love meat just as much as the next carnivore, but this was MY FAVORITE bite I sampled the entire evening. There’s something to say for not messing with nature.

Pure Food and Wine Pinot Noir Pepper Tarts

Jacques Torres: Chocolate Chip and Mudslide Cookies
Everyone who knows me knows I’m not big on sweets, but after taking a bite of these I would recommend to all you chocolate lovers to run and get one for yourself. The Jacque Torres chocolate chip cookie was top notch, but the mudslide cookie was a chocolate champion, replacing the butter in the recipe with more chocolate and creating a richness that will make your head spin.

Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip and Mudslide Cookies

Dickson’s Farmstand Meats: Pulled Pork Sliders
After too much chocolate on the tongue, I had to wash it down with something savory again. One of the most popular tables of the evening {as evidenced by the line} was Dickson’s Farmstand Meats pulled pork sliders. And I can understand why — using all locally sourced, artisanal pork, they topped this guy off with a creamy, pickley slaw/spread/relish — whatever you want to call it, it was good. Full of flavor and texture it was MY FAVORITE CARNIVOROUS bite of the night.

Dickensons Farmstand Meats Line Awaiting Pulled Pork Sliders

DFM Pulled Pork Sliders

Yum! ‘nough said.

More to come on other NYC Wine & Food Festival events. In the meantime, stop by Chelsea Market if you haven’t already discovered this mecca of artisanal and good food goodness. Its factory feel is cool enough to check out on its own, but I could get lost for hours among the ever increasing number of shops and stands bringing some of the freshest and best food products to New Yorkers.

Map: 75 9th Avenue @ Chelsea Market

Other Chelsea Market Favs:
recipe goodness :: Alton Brown Does Bourbon in the Morning
Hands On with Giada De Laurentiis at Food Network’s NYCWFF Demo
NYC Best: Falafel @ Ruthy’s, Chelsea Market
Why Buy the Cow, When You Can Get the Milkshake for Free?
NYC Best: Take the Dull Out Of Cooking {Knives} with Samurai Sharpening @ Chelsea Market

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October 5, 2010 · 9:50 am

Reliably Good American Bar and Bites @ Rye House

RYEHOUSE: 11 West 17th Street

Sometimes you just want a good reliable NYC bar and restaurant — a place you can grab lunch mid-week, a cold beer after work with friends or a handcrafted cocktail on a saturday night with intriguing ingredients such as orange blossom water, egg white and small production rye. It’s hard to find all those things in one destination, but Rye House has succeeded in creating a reliable bar and restaurant menu with reverence for traditional American spirits and cuisine.

I met my friend for lunch on a cold rainy day and shook off the chill with a soup and sandwich combo. It pleasantly reminded me of something I may have been able to order if I sauntered in off the cobblestone street of New York City circa 1850. The Spring Onion Potato Soup with a sourdough crouton and provolone was served in a sturdy handled bowl and was just the hearty starter I needed.

RyeHouse Spring Onion Soup

The “Pittsburgh” sandwich was the perfect pairing to go with the simple flavors of the onion soup and had its own warming qualities with a unique combo of grilled andouille sausage, provolone, house slaw, fries all stacked together and served on a wooden plank. The spice of the sausage was nicely mellowed out by the crisp slaw, and while the fries weren’t exactly necessary on the sandwich, they added a different sort of salty, crispy bite that made this a lunch to remember {lunch menu HERE}.

RyeHouse Pittsburgh

The Skim: With a long welcoming bar placed near the front and high tables along the wall, the casual atmosphere of Rye House invites you to stop in for whatever you’re in the mood for — a good craft draft, a creative cocktail or memorable, but simple American cuisine. Rye House also holds weekly beer tastings featuring a changing selection of craft brews, so this may just be the perfect place to discover some of the names appearing at NY Craft Beer week.

Map: 11 West 17th Street {Btw 5th & 6th Ave.}
Reservations: Taken!
Phone: 212.255.7260

Pour Some More Por Favor:
Highlands Highlights: Scottish Plaids, Pub Fare and Hand Crafted Cocktails
Not so Standard Biergarten
Mission Dolores {Accomplished}: Great New Brooklyn Beer Garden
Wilfie & Nell: Not Your Grandpa’s Watering Hole

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August 24, 2010 · 8:10 am

Gone Fishin’ :: Back in a Week…

Farewell Bachelorhood!

As I referenced in a previous post, I’m off in San Francisco to be the best groom’s girl I can be in my brother’s wedding this weekend. Jackie, my soon-to-be sister-in-law, works for Ghirardelli. She’s pretty darn sweet as a person, but it also doesn’t hurt that she brings a dowry consisting of a lifetime supply of chocolate. Welcome to the family!

I’m sure I will have no shortage of things to blog about upon my return — I promise it will be more interesting than a post about rice and will include musings from Napa. In the meantime, visit some old favorites…

Make A Delicious Dinner For Friends:
Kickin’ Ancho Chili Fresh Citrus Margarita
Avocado & Tropical Fruit Salsa
Orzo, Spinach & Feta Summer Salad
Whole-Grain Mustard & Rosemary Pork Chops
Grilled Thyme-Cumin Vegetable Kabobs
Violet’s Lemon Cheesecake with BBQ’d Summer Berries {bottom of post}
More Recipes >>> EAT@HOME

Keep Busy in the City:
Do This!: Artisanal Premium Cheese & Wine Classes w/ Jessica Wurwarg
Greenmarket: Put Smarter, Cheaper & More Scrumptious Food on Your Table
NYC Best: Summer Sausage & Other Seriously Good Eats @ Summerstage
NYC Best: Take the Dull Out Of Cooking {Knives} with Samurai Sharpening @ Chelsea Market

Enjoy a Cold One in the Garden:
Not so Standard Biergarten
Mission Dolores {Accomplished}: Great New Brooklyn Beer Garden
Nothing says Warm Weather Like a “Gut Biergarten”

And in the Spirit of Weddings, Go on a Date!:
Summer Lovin’ Me Some Oysters @Mermaid Oyster Bar
Highlands Highlights: Scottish Plaids, Pub Fare and Hand Crafted Cocktails
The Red Cat: Comfortable Quarters & Cuisine
Love, Love Shabu Shabu: Fun to Say and Eat
August in April
Bocca di Bacco: I say PotaTO, You say PoTATo
barmarche: Some Clever Crudites

Eat Up!
Christina

Sibling Fun in Tokyo

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August 18, 2010 · 8:43 am

NYC Best: Tasty Times Square Thai @ Pongsri

Times Square and good food is usually considered an oxymoron. With most Times Square dining establishments catering to tourists and theater goers, prices are oven high and quality tends to be low, but if you know where to look, there are plenty of great eats in the neighborhood worth visiting. Pongsri Thai, the oldest family-run Thai restaurant in NYC and one of my favorites, sits in the midst of neon tickers, but its traditional decor and standout food quickly makes you forget the madness outside their four walls.

We started with my favorite dish of the whole meal, a Coconut Omelet appetizer consisting of a thin omelet crepe stuffed with shredded coconut, carrots, bean sprouts and chopped peanuts, served with special thai sauce and cucumber salad. I typically think of eggs as being savory, but the sweetness and crunchiness of the coconut and carrots with the salty peanuts, wrapped in the thin, fluffy omelet crepe was like a Thai party in my mouth — I couldn’t get enough.

Pongsri Coconut Omelette

And while I typically go the boring Pad Thai route when ordering from any random take-out joint, we ordered up a delicious Pad Key Mao — stir-fried broad rice noodles with herbs, chinese broccoli and chili paste with chicken and a make-your-brow-sweat Thai Red Curry with bamboo shoots, bell peppers and coconut milk. Mmmmm — just look at the pictures, they speak for themselves. Lots of good, fresh veg tossed in full-of-flavor sauces. Put either these over the white fluffy sticky rice that absorbs all that goodness and you’ve got yourself a memorable meal.

Pongsri Pad See Ew

Pongsri Thai Red Curry

The Skim: Put the pad thai aside and pick up something new at Pongsri. With hand cut noodles, fresh veg and intense sauces, you will come away with tasty thai memories of Times Square no matter what you order.

Map: {244 West 48th Street btw 8th Ave & Broadway}
Reservations: Not Taken!
Phone:  212-582-3392

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June 11, 2010 · 2:32 pm

NYC Best: Falafel @ Ruthy’s, Chelsea Market

I’ve decided to share one of the best kept secret’s in NYC: where to find the BEST falafel. This may stir up some debate, so please bring it on. Nestled inside the artisanal food haven of Chelsea Market, is Ruthy’s, an otherwise standard bakery and cafe where at first glance you can grab a bagel, panini sandwich or side salad that is probably not too different from any other lunch-crowd driven sandwich and salad counter. But if you know what to order, you’re in for one of the most delicious, best value-for-money falafel sandwiches in all of NYC.

Once you discretely ask for the under-promoted falafel sandwich {which can’t be found among all the pre-made paninis and salads in the cooler} grab a seat and be prepared to wait a few minutes as one of the workers jets to the back to cook the falafel to order and begins stuffing the pita with all the other key, smile-inducing ingredients. When you get your sandwich I suggest you find a dark corner where no one can see you devour the goodness, because I guarantee you will have sauce dripping down your elbows and veggies falling into your lap, and hey, we can’t have you worried about looking good in the midst of this delightful experience.

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So what makes this the BEST falafel? Once you open the double-wrapping of foil and parchment you will see that this is no ordinary stuffed pita. At first glance you will see what looks like typical sandwich filling — tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber. But as you start to chip away at the sandwich you will soon discover new and exciting accompaniments that have been stuffed between the bread — roasted eggplant, sweet yellow and red peppers, jalapeno, diced pickles, tahini, hummus all contribute a range of spicy, sour, sweet and creamy flavors that are the perfect complement to the crispy falafel found at the base of all this goodness. About half way through this sandwich you will wish you had more napkins, and unless you are really talented at keeping it all together, it will be time to inevitably move into fork mode as all the juice from the veg and sauce starts to seep into the pita {or on to your lap}. The best thing about all of this: it only costs $4.95. Any other pre-made or specialty sandwich on the menu goes for twice that! I challenge you to find me a better falafel sandwich.

The Skim: Forget that you’re in a rush to get back to your desk and take an extra 5 minutes to order one of the best falafel sandwiches NYC has to offer. For $4.95 you will no doubt get your money’s worth and might not even need to order dinner after you down this very generously stuffed deep pita. {75 9th Avenue @ Chelsea Market}

Check out other Chelsea Market good eats:
Ronnybrook: Why Buy the Cow, When You Can Get the Milkshake for Free?

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May 19, 2010 · 9:03 am

Why Buy the Cow, When You Can Get the Milkshake for Free?

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Thanks to the renovation of the High Line, Chelsea Market is abuzz more than ever. Over the past two years a lot of great new purveyors of local and artisan food products have claimed a spot in the market to appeal to professional and casual foodies alike. One of my favorite shops is the Ronnybrook Milk Bar, which is both a great place to pick up some premium organic dairy products, as well as a fun place to grab a bite to eat. With milk crate-stacked walls and pull-handle glass front refrigerators showcasing Ronnybrook’s old-fashioned glass bottled milk, the food bar has the feeling of being run right from the farm. The glass bottles aren’t the only thing old-fashioned about Ronnybrook though — the farm prides itself on producing “beyond organic” local products from a herd of grass-fed, free range cows that are hormone and pesticide free, just as farming used to be.

“Our cows’ health is more important to us than the label.”

The Milk Bar’s menu goes beyond their udderly delicious creamline milk, with items such as the Free Range Roast Chicken sandwich with spicy aioli, avocado on a baguette or the homemade Hummus with warm pita, tahini, mushrooms, olive oil and pickles. But don’t fret, you will not leave without enjoying the creamy goodness of the Ronnybrook Farm. Before we even ordered we were presented with an ‘amuse bouche’ single shot of a super premium vanilla milkshake — a delightful and unexpected surprise! But it didn’t stop there — midway through my chicken sammie, our server brought us another shot of a chocolate milkshake, followed by a third shot at the end of the meal of an apple milkshake {not my favorite}. If they weren’t so generous with the free milkshakes, I might have been tempted to order some ice cream for a post-lunch treat, but as the title says…

The Skim: …Or The Creamline — know where your food comes from. You don’t have to be a hemp-wearing, tree-hugging hippy to understand the benefits of chemical-free, locally produced sustenance. If you haven’t given Ronnybrook a try, stop in for a bite to eat at the Milk Bar and nab some free samples — maybe then you’ll fall in love with the creamy goodness. {Chelsea Market, 75 9th Ave.}

Check out other Chelsea Market Good Eats:
NYC Best: Falafel @ Ruthy’s

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April 27, 2010 · 8:37 pm

recipe goodness: roasted chicken salad w/ dried cranberries & sunflower seeds

Roasted Chicken Salad with Dried Cranberries & Sunflower Seeds

What came first, the Chicken or the Egg?

Well in the case of my blog, the egg salad recipe, but I actually created the chicken salad first. This is another great alternative to a boring sammie and I actually recommend you eat it sans bread only because there are so many good flavors you should enjoy!

Roasted Chicken Salad with Dried Cranberries & Sunflower Seeds

3 Chicken Breasts
Dijon Mustard
Sprinkle of Dill
Crank of Black Pepper
1 Stalk Celery
1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries
2 TBS Sunflower Seeds (no shell)
1 TBS Mayo
1 TBS Dijon

Tip: Making with 3-4 chicken breasts will give you enough for 3-5 servings depending on how hungry you are — easy lunch for a few days that week or lunching with the ladies.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lay the 3 chicken breasts on a cookie sheet with sides.  Spread a thin layer of dijon on both sides of each chicken breast, then sprinkle with dill and crank a little whole black pepper on both sides. Put the chicken in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes flip each chicken breast and return to the oven for 10 more minutes. Remove and let cool.

Meanwhile, dice celery stalk. When chicken is cool, roughly chop into bite sized pieces and add to the bowl with celery. Add dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, a dollop of mayo and dijon and another crank or two of black pepper. Toss to mix ingredients thoroughly and enjoy. This is another great salad to sprinkle a few radish sprouts on top for an surprising fresh, peppery flavor.

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April 20, 2010 · 7:13 pm

recipe goodness: cumin & dill egg salad with radish sprouts

That's lunch! Egg Salad with Grilled Asparagus and REAL carrots

In the spirit of sharing good meals, I thought I would also share recipes from my own kitchen that I promise are EASY to make. You can find all recipes in the “@home” Category link on the side of 8.ate@eight, so if you’re looking for a little inspiration, I hope you find it there and who knows, maybe it will kick off your own kitchen experiments!

I’m not usually one for lunch meat on a regular basis, and since I have the benefit of preparing most of my lunches at home, I’ve been experimenting with a few standards. Your momma’s egg salad + my love of herbs = cumin & dill egg salad with with radish sprouts. Nothing was measured exactly and I encourage everyone to break away from measuring spoons and cups and just start tossing…here is my attempt to recipetize my creation:

cumin & dill egg salad with with radish sprouts

4 eggs (preferably small farm / free range)
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 tsp Capers
1 TBS Mayo
1 TBS Dijon Mustard
Dash of Ground Cumin
2 Dashes of Dill
Coarsely Ground Black Pepper

Tip: Hard boiling 4 eggs will make enough for 2-3 servings depending on how hungry you are or if you want to share with a well-deserving friend. Nice to share, but also nicer to have lunch made for a few days in the fridge!

Put eggs in a pot and cover with 1-in of water. Bring water to a boil and then lower to a very slow simmer, cover with a lid and let it dance for 20 minutes. In the meantime, chop celery. When eggs are done simmering, put pot in the sink and run cold water until the eggs are cooled. This method should prevent that unsightly green rim from forming around the yolk. Peel, roughly chop and add to the bowl with the celery.

Tip: If you are trying to be a bit more healthy, only use 2 of the egg yolks and 4 egg whites. You will still get all the good flavor and bright yellow goodness.

Toss the rest of the ingredients in the bowl with the eggs and celery. Dollop of dijon & mayo. Sprinkle of cumin & dill. Crank of black pepper. And capers (no need to add any salt — capers and dijon are plenty salty.) Mash away with a fork to blend thoroughly and enjoy. My favorite addition — toss a few radish sprouts on top. Alfalfa sprouts always confuse me — I find them tasteless and like getting a hair in your mouth. But radish sprouts are peppery like a radish and tend to be a bit more leafy. Nice touch!

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