Last spring I added a little color to the flock; an Easter Egger and a Black Cuckoo Maran. But it wasn’t only because of their their gorgeous feathers that I chose these breeds; they also added color to my egg basket! Poppy, the Easter Egger, started laying pale green eggs a few weeks ago and I thought that in honor Dr Seuss’ birthday (March 2) and St. Patrick’s Day (March 17), I would share a few unique ways to serve
Easter Eggers are not recognized as a Heritage Chicken breed by the American Poultry Association, rather they are a mix or blend of a blue egg layer (Araucana or Ameraucana) and a brown egg laying breed. Here’s a little info from the Easter Egger Club of America:
The Easter Egger is known for its colorful eggs; eggs can range from green to blue and even pink. Originally bred from a South American breed, it has become one of the most popular breeds in the United States today. Easter Egger’s can have virtually any feather color or pattern and usually have greenish legs and a pea comb. Normally they have a beard and muffs, however breeding techniques have lead to a beardless variety as well. Easter Egger’s are found in both large fowl and bantam types, both exhibit the same rainbow of plumage possibilities and with the same ability to lay a range of colorful eggs. The Easter Egger’s name derives from the colorful eggs they produce; as the name suggests, the eggs remind people of Easter eggs. The egg color alone is enough to make this a desirable breed of chicken, but to add to this, they also display a huge range of feather color. Although there are certain color traits that are more common then others, when you obtain and Easter egg chicken, you can never truly be sure what you will end up with, but whatever it is, you can bet it will be unique!
 |
| Poppy ~ The Easter Egger ♥ |
Green Eggs and Ham (Deviled Eggs)
Here’s a new (or green) twist to a traditional favorite. And… it’s delicious!
12 hard boiled eggs
2 ounces prosciutto
5 ounces fresh spinach
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
The debate over the best method to hard boil eggs continues… Be sure to read all of Jennifer Burcke’s results on her quest for the perfectly hard boiled egg (click here). I experimented a while back on some unusual ways to hard boil an egg including the dishwasher, a crock pot and a microwave! (Click here to view my results.)
Once you have successfully hard boiled the eggs, peel and slice them lengthwise and remove the yolks (set the yolks aside for later). Saute the spinach over medium high heat until completely wilted. Squeeze out the excess moisture between a few layers of paper towels. Slightly saute the prosciutto. Transfer the spinach and prosciutto to a food processor and add the mayonnaise, mustard, pepper, Parmesan cheese and yolks. Process until pureed. Using a pastry bag or a plastic sandwich bag with one corner sniped off, pipe the mixture into the prepared egg whites.
Green Eggs and Ham (Quiche)
This is a very yummy and a very green version of a spinach quiche!
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
5 ounces fresh spinach
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup chopped ham
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 cup fontina cheese, grated
Saute garlic and onions in butter and olive oil until softened. Add the spinach and continue to saute until the spinach is wilted. Transfer the spinach mixture to a food processor and add nutmeg, ham, eggs, cream and pepper. Process until pureed. Sprinkle grated fontina evenly on the bottom of a prepared pie shell. Pour the spinach – egg mixture over the cheese. Bake 30 minutes at 400°F. Allow to cool 15 minutes before cutting. Serve warm.
Green Eggs and Ham (Appetizer)
I usually make this tasty appetizer with bacon, but in keeping with this theme I substituted prosciutto (Italian dry-cured ham) and the results were just as good!
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
10 ounces fresh spinach
4 ounces prosciutto
1 dozen eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly on the bottom of a greased 13 x 9″ pan. Saute spinach in 2 tablespoons olive oil until wilted. Squeeze excess moisture out of the spinach between a few layers of paper towels. Saute prosciutto until slightly crisp. Transfer the spinach and prosciutto to a food processor and add eggs, milk, onion flakes, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and pepper. Process until pureed. Stir in pepper jack cheese. Pour mixture over bread crumbs and bake for 35 minutes at 350°F.
Do you have any “green” foods that you serve to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? – Leave a comment below or if you have a green egg layer, share a photo on our Community Chickens facebook page!
3 Comments
I love this! We have two Americauna’s and always like seeing those pretty eggs…people always gets a kick out of them too….I really enjoy explaining to people about the chicken breeds and the different color eggs..
This is DEFINITELY a much better idea than adding green food dye to celebrate green eggs and ham!
I’ve also heard of mixing avocado with the egg yolk mixture for green deviled eggs.