The perfect food! High in protein, low in calories, contains all essential amino acids, iron, many vitamins and minerals, inexpensive, versatile, satisfies carnivores and most vegetarians equally!
I confess to some prejudice. I have a backyard chicken who gives me fresh, free range, organic eggs most of the year, so I eat lots of eggs and then give them away to friends and family. My surviving chicken lays green-shelled eggs, so this diary fits Dr. Seuss' birthday month, as well as St. Patrick's Day month, Nouroz month, and Vernal Equinox month.
Eggs are indispensable in the kitchen. An egg yolk is an important emulsifier for sauces, salad dressings (e.g., classic Caesar dressing) and aioli. Egg whites fluff up to many times their starting size, enabling meringues and souffles, and can be used as an edible glue (for example, in royal icing).
Eggs are also indispensable in great literature...just ask Humpty Dumpty.
My frittatas are "anything except the kitchen sink," and the recipe is deliberately vague. A frittata is an Italian omelet that doesn't need to be flipped, and with a green salad and bread, makes a nice light supper.
About 2 eggs per person*
Vegetables of your choice, about 1/2 to 1 cup per person, in bite size pieces: I like asparagus, cherry tomatoes, corn, red bell peppers, spinach, arugula, shallots, mushrooms (2 or 3 of those depending on what's fresh) and, of course, garlic. Cook (or wilt spinach/arugula) first.
Cheese if desired, about 2 Tbsp to 1/2 C. per person -- try goat cheese (it won't melt), Swiss, mozzarella, cheddar, Fontina, gouda, or whatever's on hand
Use a pan that can go from the cooktop to the oven to the table. I usually cook the vegetables in the same pan as I'll be using for the frittata because I'm lazy; if you do, remove the veggies and set them aside, then wipe the pan once (no need for elaborate washing) before cooking the eggs.
Tip: do take the time to whisk the eggs for a good solid two minutes of vigorous arm-action in the bowl, and the end result will be lighter and fluffier. Use a fork, not a spoon, if you don't have a whisk.
I like to add a very small pinch of nutmeg to the egg mixture, or if sauteing spinach, to the spinach as it cooks. Tabasco, sage, thyme, marjoram, and/or oregano can also be added.
Coat the inside of the pan well with butter or non-stick spray and use medium-high heat. Pour in the egg mixture. After about three minutes, add the cooked veggies and cheese (remember that the top will be visible to your guests, so arrange them artistically) and reduce heat to medium-low. Turn on the oven broiler. After about two more minutes, when the sides and bottom are set but the top is still jiggly, put the pan in the broiler for about two minutes. Watch it carefully! as it has a tendency to brown very fast. Remove from oven. If you're a confident cook, loosen edges with a spatula and slide on to a serving plate, but if you fear that it'll all fall apart, just serve straight from the pan.
From frittatas, you can branch out into omelets (in pan, fold in half, and skip the broiler step) and quiches (put the frittata batter in a pie crust and bake about 30-45 minutes). If you make a frittata with thinly sliced potatoes (cooked for about 15 minutes beforehand) and onions, it becomes a Spanish tortilla, no relation to a Mexican tortilla.
Still think that eggs are strictly breakfast food? Try pasta carbonara! Any dish that can satisfy kids, Italian purists, and bacon lovers is a good dish. Serve with lots of red wine and a big green salad; and serve leftovers at breakfast the following day with strong coffee to help with the hangover.
Dried pasta: spaghetti, fettucine, or any shape you have on hand: 1 lb box will serve 4-6 people. Cook the pasta according to package directions. While it's cooking, assemble everything else; this dish requires a lot of attention in the two minutes after the pasta is done cooking but before it cools down, and you can't waste time fumbling around.
1 egg per serving
Bacon: I use 1 strip per serving because I'm not a bacon-lover, but you could include up to 3 strips per serving if you so desire. Pancetta (Italian bacon) is traditional, if you have it, and turkey bacon is a healthy, kosher substitute. Cook the bacon to a crispy-done stage in a separate pan, drain the fat, and chop it into crumbles.
Vegetables: about 1/4 cup per person, more or less, in small bite size portions, defrosted and cooked as needed. Peas are traditional. I like to add red bell peppers. Onions should be cooked long enough to remove the raw onion taste and they begin to turn translucent, about 5-10 minutes. I usually cook the veggies in the same pan as the bacon, using the bacon grease instead of olive oil or butter, because I'm a lazy cook I like to add more bacon flavor to the veggies. I also throw in a pinch of red pepper flakes, because this dish needs lots of pepper.
Fresh ground pepper is essential, and fresh parmesan cheese (about 1 Tbsp per person) is a nice touch.
Beat the eggs thoroughly in a small bowl with 1 Tbsp cream for every 2 people.
When the pasta is done, quickly drain it, then while it's still hot, return to the still-hot cookpot and immediately add the egg/cream mixture to the pan. Toss the pasta and eggs together, stirring constantly, until the eggs have coated the pasta and (mostly) solidified/disappeared -- about two minutes. At the same time, go crazy with the pepper grinder. Top with bacon, vegetables, and parmesan cheese if used, and enjoy!
And what diary meal would be complete without a dessert? Although many cakes and cookies depend on one egg, here's a straightforward creme brulee that uses 1 egg yolk* per person. (*In a perfect world, creme brulee, which uses only yolks, is served one night, and meringue, which uses only whites, is served the next night. Since real life is never perfect, you can use two egg yolks and three egg whites, or vice-versa, in a frittata or omelet without ruining the texture.)
This recipe serves six. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Heat just barely to boiling:
1/2 C. milk and 1-1/2 C. cream
Remove from heat and add 1/2 C. sugar, stirring until dissolved.
In a separate bowl, whisk 6 egg yolks, then gently whisk into the milk mixture. Pour all into six individual cute-sized dishes, or use an 8x8 square baking dish. Bake until the top is no longer jiggly, about 20 minutes (if using small dishes) to 1 hour (if using pan). Just before serving, sprinkle top of dish with 1/2 C. sugar and either broil for about 3 minutes (watch it carefully!) or use a blowtorch until the sugar caramelizes (takes on a brown and crunchy look).
And here's a bonus recipe for flan: Make a caramel sauce by scorching sugar in the bottom of one large pan or individual cute sized dishes. Make the creme brulee recipe and pour it over the caramel, then bake as above, and flip onto a plate for serving. The only differences between the two are when you caramelize the sugar (flan: caramelize first, then cook; creme brulee, caramelize just before serving), and the price tag in a restaurant (flan: $5, creme brulee: $15).
Finally, think locally!
The yolk on the left, which was laid by my chicken, is a deeper orange color (because it has more beta-carotene), firmer, and stands up higher than the yolk on the right, which came from a supermarket. The egg on the left is far more nutritious, because the chicken eats a varied diet thanks to several hours of grub-hunting every day, and of course, is also tastier :) If you have a suburban backyard, you can raise chickens (look for diaries by me in a few weeks); if you can't, support a local farmer's free-range girls.