Eggs and more eggs

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2011

It is not yet summer, though every now and again there are glimpses of things to come.  I got sunburnt in the weekend weeding the citrus grove but the forecast for the next few days is for rain and somewhat cooler temperatures.  Spring here means goslings, chickens, lambs, kids, baby salad greens, early broad beans, the first strawberries, grass and eggs.  Oh and grass and more eggs.  Last night I sorted the egg mountain that had gathered on the kitchen bench.  I floated eggs, both hen and duck, and I sank eggs, both hen and duck.  I still have at least 6 dozen eggs that sink rapidly to the bottom of a bowl of water, indicating their freshness.  Even the eggs that are three weeks old are probably fresher and most definitely nicer than those you can buy at the supermarket.  We only have ten hens, and one of them is being a mummy hen raising this year’s only chicken, Georgia, a cute little black chick, clearly taking after her dad, our Barred Rock rooster, Rocky.  But, the nine girls are churning out between 6 and 8 eggs every day.  The dogs eat eggs, the cats eat eggs, we eat eggs, we sell eggs, we give them away to our guests but still they mount up. 

Recently we had a family staying for the weekend.  Jordon, the visiting seven year old, loved being in the country and learning about farming, albeit on a small scale. After feeding the hens, ducks and geese, he collected the eggs to make individual bacon and egg pies for lunch.  For city children, to open the nesting box to find a pile of eggs sitting in the straw is magic.   So many times our visitors ask if there are chickens inside the eggs (adults and children alike!)  It takes some explaining, but at this time of the year, the majority of the eggs could produce chickens (or ducklings, or goslings) as they are fertile, but don’t exactly contain a baby bird.  From fertile egg to chick requires three weeks of the right temperature and humidity and this process doesn’t start until the hen has laid all the eggs she wants to (or stolen them from other hens) and starts sitting on them.  She then stays there on her nest, only occasionally getting up for food and water until the eggs hatch.  Ducklings take about four weeks to hatch but it works the same way.  Without wishing to count our chickens (or some such, as the saying goes) but this year we have a gosling that has survived to the grand old age of three weeks.  We have been trying to breed Pilgrim geese for three years now and this is the oldest that we have managed to keep a gosling alive.  The little bundle of fluff is a female so fingers crossed, we can raise her to adulthood. 

Bacon and egg pie doesn’t require a recipe.  You can make your own pastry but unless you are practised I think bought flaky pasty is probably best.  Simply roll out a lid and base, cut to the shape of your dish and carefully lay the base in your greased pie dish.  Break in as many eggs as you like, add some finely chopped bacon, and season with salt and pepper .  Brush the edges with water or egg wash (see below) and carefully put the top on your pie.  Crimp the edges, and cook at 200^◦  until the pie is golden and the filling set, about 45 minutes.

Making your own pasta is a good way to use up some of the eggs, and it is much easier and quicker than you think.  You can make ravioli from hen house (or egg tray) to table in less time than it would take most of us to go to the supermarket.  Any leftover pasta can be frozen in a solid airtight container for a short while.

Free Range Egg Ravioli in a Hurry (KB)

To make fresh pasta:
250 g flour
25 ml milk
25 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 whole eggs.

Add all the ingredients into a floured bowl and work them into a soft ball.  Roll the pasta quickly in a light coating of flour and wrap for 15 minutes in a clean kitchen towel. Roll out as thinly as you possibly can (it needs to be very very thin), cut into circles (of any diameter you choose) using a biscuit cutter.  You can roll it out in a pasta machine if you have one.  If you don’t have a biscuit cutter, then find a glass or some such and use that to cut around to make circles.

To make the ravioli filling (enough to serve one):

 egg yolks (see below)
1 T flat mushrooms diced very finely
1 T mushroom essence (from Aromatics, available at good delicatessens) - optional
1 T red Spanish onion diced very finely
1 dash of Soy sauce
1 t fresh chopped herbs (any combination of what is growing)
1 dash of Tabasco Sauce if you like:
Egg wash (for glue) made by lightly whisking an egg.

Mix the filling ingredients together.  Put 1 T of filling in the centre of a pasta disc, and then carefully place 1 whole raw egg yolk on top of the filling*.  Brush the edges of the base disc with egg wash and place the top disc over the filling and the egg, making sure that the top and bottom are totally sealed.  You can also make the ravioli by using one disc and placing the filling on half the pasta and folding the dough over the top to make a half moon shaped ravioli.

Bring 2 Lt water to a rapid boil in a large pot and add 1 tsp oil to that.  Season well with salt (until it tastes like the sea), drop the ravioli one at a time in and cook for 1 minute.  With a slotted spoon remove the ravioli, arrange it on a plate and pour on the sauce. 

To make the sauce:
100ml cream
1 Shot Marsala
1/2 t butter
2 T Mirren or sherry
1 t mushroom essence - optional

Place all ingredients into a pot and bring to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes and pour over the raviolis. Grate a little Parmigianino or any good firm cheese over the top.

It’s as simple as that!

*          If you have large home grown eggs then they will be too large for a sensible sized ravioli – mix the egg yolk(s) into the mushroom mix instead.