Basic Egg Salad With Or Without The Yolk

As we revisit some of the basic cooking skills from earlier this year, I thought adding a few lunch items to the blog could be of value.  Eggs are simply an awesome food group with so many degrees of variation and use, and as stated previously, they are cheap.

Having hard-boiled eggs in the fridge are great for snacking, taking to class, adding protein to your diet, and for making egg salad sandwiches.  And you can do this several different ways.  I am going to touch upon the 'Classic Egg Salad Sandwich', but I have also listed a variation for those of you who hate egg yolks or who prefer a smoother texture:  'Simple Egg White Salad Sandwich'.

Note: 
If you are going to take the time to hard-boil eggs, go ahead and make a few extra.  These will last in the fridge for a few extra days long after the egg salad has vanished.

Equipment:
Large 5-qt sauce pan

Ingredients:
6 hard-boiled eggs
1/3 cup of mayo (use Miracle Whip if you like a sweeter version)
1-2 Tbls of celery, finely diced (some recipes use 1 Tbls of sweet relish or pickles)
1-2 Tbls of shallot or onion, finely diced
Pinch of salt
Fresh pepper
Spritz of lemon

For a lighter version without yolks:
6 hard-boiled egg whites
1/3 cup of mayo
1-2 Tbls of red onion
Pinch of salt and pepper
Pinch of dried dill (optional)
Pinch of dry mustard (optional)

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Lay eggs into the sauce pan in a single layer and cover with 1-2 inches of water.

3. Bring water and eggs to a boil.  Reduce heat to LOW and cover for 30 seconds.

4. Remove pan from heat and let stand for 15 minutes.
5. Transfer eggs to an ice bath for 5 minutes.

6. Easily peel eggs and chop into a bowl.  (Remove yolks prior to chopping if using the second version)

7. Add finely diced celery or pickles or relish (if using), onion, and mayo.

8. Add your spices and lemon.  Fold mixture together gently.
9. Heap a sturdy amount onto sourdough, wheat, toast, or rye.
10.  Add any condiments, i.e. lettuce or tomato, and enjoy.

Classic Egg Salad Sandwich

Egg-white Egg Salad Sandwich

Sometimes I skip all the extras and just enjoy a pure egg salad sandwich without the onion, celery or additional flavors--just as good--especially if you haven't been to the grocery store in a while and your pantry is devoid of everything else.

Moms Rice Pilaf

Growing up this was my favorite recipe and I requested it for virtually every birthday dinner I could...along with the Swedish Meatballs.  Mom didn't use noodles, but instead used rice pilaf.  When Jon asked to get copies of all of his favorite recipes (before I realized that a blog, ie paperless, was the way to go), this was one of his first requests.

At this point, and after a 99 posts, I think it is time that this recipe can be attempted by a college chef with the limited cooking skills--just think of all the recipes you have tried so far--this one is just a simple combination of previous skills, nothing more!

Great side dish with Swedish Meatballs (recipe will follow later in the year), but I have made it for chicken piccata, chicken souvlaki, plain old pork chops, and it is delicious left-over.  In college, I would make a double batch, freeze it for those days when I just didn't feel like cooking.  Tell me what you think!

Equipment:
5 quart saucepan with tight-fitting lid
Knife, for chopping

Ingredients:
4 Tbls of butter, divided in 2 Tbls each
1 small to medium onion, chopped and diced
2 stalks celery, quartered and chopped

1 cup of long-grain white rice, uncooked
1 package of Campbell's Soup Secrets 'Chicken Noodle' with Diced White Chicken Meat
2 1/2 cups of water
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp thyme

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Melt 2 Tbls of butter in 5-qt saucepan and saute onion and celery until translucent.

3. Remove the onion and celery once soft.  Set aside.

4. Melt 2 Tbls of butter in same 5-qt saucepan and add uncooked long-grain rice.

5. Brown rice kernels until golden brown over MEDIUM heat.  Be careful not to burn kernels.
6. Stir frequently while browning kernels.

7. Add soup packet, water, onions, celery, salt, pepper, sage and thyme.

8. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce heat to SIMMER-LOW and put lid on top.

9. DO NOT REMOVE LID TO PEEK OR CHECK
10. Simmer on LOW heat for 15 minutes, covered.  Remove from heat and fluff with fork.

11. Let sit for 5 minutes.

I served our rice pilaf last night with chicken piccata (recipe coming in the next weeks as well) and roasted brussel sprouts.