Recipes: Fried Eggs Italian Style & Egg Salad Sandwiches

In the case of the egg - size does not matter.

The size is determined by the weight per dozen and this standard is set by the U.S. department of Agriculture (USDA) and must have the USDA shield displayed on the egg carton. Otherwise you are at the mercy of the egg farmer, or packer of the eggs, and they may not be uniform in quality, size, color or general appearance.

The USDA Seal is your most reliable buying guide when purchasing eggs. Egg quality and appearance is graded as: AA, A, B or C. The use of the USDA shield is granted to the distributor, or wholesaler, of eggs only after he has been inspected and trained by a Federal-State Grader of Eggs. Then they are inspected frequently to make sure they continue to conform to the quality standards.

These "grades" have nothing to do with the size of the egg. These grades only determine how the eggs will look when broken open and gently placed on a flat dish.

Grade AA eggs are the fancy variety. They are uniformly sized and have as near perfectly formed shells as possible. When opened, an AA egg will cover a small area. The white will be thick and stand high. The yolk is firm and high. Grade AA eggs are good for all purposes; however, they are best for frying or poaching, where their appearance has to be most appetizing and eye catching.

Grade A eggs will cover a moderate area when opened on a flat dish. Their white portion will be reasonably thick and the yolk will stand fairly high. These too can be used where serving appearance is important.

Grade B eggs will cover a wide area when opened and will have a small amount of thick white and a greater amount of thin white. The yolk is somewhat flattened and enlarged.

Grade C eggs will cover a very wide area when opened. There will be little or no thick white surrounding the yolk. The yolk itself will be flat and greatly enlarged. Both grade B and C eggs are ideal for general purposes such as sauces or cakes.

Now here are a couple of "eggs"-ceptional recipes you will love.

Recipe #1 - FRIED EGGS, ITALIAN STYLE:

• 6 eggs

• 1/4 cup virgin olive oil

• salt and pepper to taste.

If you have never had an egg sauteed in good olive oil, your taste buds are in for a real treat. The selection of the olive oil for frying the eggs is most important. The olive oil should be from the first pressing; the flavor of this type oil is usually sweeter and more delicious than some of the cheaper grades which come from subsequent pressings. (A little more expensive, but well worth the money)

Directions:

• Heat the olive oil over low heat in a skillet which has a tightly fitting cover. When the oil separates and runs to the edges of the pan, break each egg into a saucer and slip it carefully into the hot oil. Sprinkle all the eggs with salt and pepper to taste.

• Cover tightly and cook over very low heat for 4 minutes or until the eggs are set. The white should be firm and the yolk shiny and slightly coated.

• Carefully transfer the eggs to a large heated platter or to individual plates and serve at once.

• Buttered toast is excellent with this dish. { If you want to be completely Italian, fry some slices of white bread in the remaining olive oil until they are a delicate golden brown. ]

Serves 6, allowing 1 egg per person.

Recipe #2 - EGG SANDWICH SALAD:

• 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

• 1/4 cup soft butter

• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

• 1/16 teaspoon ground red pepper

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon celery seed (or celery salt instead of regular salt)

• 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped

• 8 slices white bread, lightly buttered

Directions:

• Chop the hard-boiled eggs, or mash them with a fork until fine.

• Add the butter and mix until smooth.

• Add the salt, red pepper, Worcestershire sauce, celery seed and parsley and mix thoroughly.

• Divide the mixture into 4 equal parts.

• Spread 4 slices of the lightly buttered bread with one part of the mixture.

• Top with the remaining four slices of bread.

• Press together slightly and cut into triangular shaped sandwiches.

Serves 4

This spread is also delicious served on cocktail crackers as hors d'oeuvres.

Note: although these recipes may seem to have a lot of oil in them; real butter, and olive oil are both quite healthy for you - all natural, no preservatives and excellent flavors.

[PS. Please take a few minutes to click on the link above: Grader of Eggs. It will take you to another hubber's hub that is hilarious, and don't forget to watch the attached videos on it. You will not be disappointed]

by: d.william 01/16/11