Eggs: A Miracle Food That’s Cheap, Too
Though hard-cooked eggs are inevitable at Easter, I love eggs cooked in every way imaginable year-round. They truly are a miracle food — and cheap, to boot.
I often hard-cook a bunch of eggs at home just for snacks. My four-year-old son has been a particular fan of these lately. He doesn’t even bother to put salt and pepper on them.
My family goes through a dozen eggs or more a week. I may not eat them every day, but they certainly are a nutritious food, and a great source of protein for people burned out on chicken, beef and the other usual suspects. Though heart patients and others may not want to gorge on eggs because of their high cholesterol content, they are great sources of Vitamin A (which promotes eye health and sturdy bones and teeth, among other things) and riboflavin (or Vitamin B2, which promotes good vision and healthy skin).
I like having eggs around for those nights when no one can settle on a dinner choice. We almost always will agree on eggs, and they always make a fast meal.
People who have never swirled the runny yolk of fried eggs into creamy grits don’t know what they’re missing.
One of my fondest childhood memories is of my mother making me soft-cooked eggs. These sadly have fallen out of favor. They are prepared like hard-cooked eggs, but cooked less so that the yolk is the slightest bit runny in the center. My mother would make these with buttered toast that was chopped up and stirred into the eggs — so simple but so delicious.
I also love omelets for a quick lunch or dinner. These are great for using up bits of cheese, vegetables, meat or other foods. I particularly like mushrooms in my omelets, because their earthy taste wonderfully complements the silky, creamy interior of the eggs. I can almost taste it as I write. (For a primer on how to make omelets, as well as some recipes, see my 2005 omelet story.)
By the way, omelets go surprisingly well with a wide variety of wines, red and white.
