Brown Eggs

When you hear "Brown Eggs," you probably think of the brown-shelled eggs that come from many home-grown eggs, or ones you buy at the farmers market. But I will give you a new image of brown eggs that you probably never heard of before. "Huevos Haminados," true brown eggs, a traditional Jewish Sephardic specialty. (The "Huevos" part isn't Mexican, it is from Medieval Spain)

I like eggs, but sometimes it feels like I have run out of ways to cook them that are exciting. Yes, you can make great things with them, like fritattas, but what if you just want an egg? Honestly, I'm not that fond of deviled eggs, though I like a good deviled egg salad on Wonder Bread, just like when I was a kid. But when I learned how to make Brown Eggs, and deviled them with a different flavor profile, I found that I enjoyed these deviled eggs better.

Eggs are like beefsteak. You have two choices; either cook it until just barely done, or cook it with moist heat until it is tender. They are both protein, and that is how you handle protien. And with these eggs, I'm talking 10 hours or so!

The first recipe I tried called for boiling the eggs all day. That was fine, and they turned out well, but what a pain! I had to keep replacing water, minerals got all over my pot, and I had to keep turning the burner off when I left for awhile. The next time I used my Crock Pot. And that worked perfectly! I put them in first thing in the morning, and pulled them out that night.

When you peel these eggs, (and with the long cooking, the eggs evaporate some, making them super easy to peel) you will discover why they are called brown eggs. The white shell comes off to disclose a pretty caramel-colored egg white. Suprisingly, the yolk stays bright yellow, except for the unavoidable green coating from the iron in the yolk. The eggs's flavor is rich and meaty, the texture is a little more firm, but still tender.

The way I devil these is to crumble the yolks, mix in a light amount of real mayonaise or olive oil, salt as desired, a pinch or two of cayenne powder, and a few drops of liquid smoke.

Another method that I have seen online is to bake them, rather than boil. I'm not really willing to have my oven on for the 5 hours it calls for, but it would be interesting to see if the flavor is any different. http://thedomesticman.com/2012/04/03/sephardic-jewish-style-eggs-huevos-haminados/

If you enjoy eggs, try making brown ones. It's worth the look on people's faces when they see them!

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