About six months ago, a family of three hens came to live with us. We went under the wire to rescue them from a battery farm. They live in our garden in a bespoke house that cost an arm and a leg. Within a month, Mrs W had one of them down the vets and a further bill of £120. At that time each egg was costing us about £10 - you can keep your provenance and sustainability. They have quickly become family pets and the dog is less than happy.
They have now settled in and are laying well and we have eggs abundant.
Boiled, poached, fried, mayonnaised and omeletted, we have had it all and are now egged out.
Time for a fresh approach so I googled recipes for the pickled version.
Pretty simple recipe : 6 eggs - hard boiled - cooled and shelled. 500ml of cider vinegar boiled up and simmered for 10 minutes with a choice of spices. I used whatever was in the cupboard; chilli flakes, garlic cloves, cardamon, mustard seeds and peppercorns. Allow to cool and pour into a clean airtight jar covering the eggs. Put in fridge for 4-6 weeks and enjoy.
I have no idea what they will taste like. I have to admit that they do not look too appetising. I used Aspalls cider vinegar. I have always been impressed with their ciders so their vinegar is hopefully quality too. Apparently a more mellow pickling comes through using cider vinegar rather than the pickling type - it also fits better for a beer blog. I included all of the spices in the jar which will hopefully infuse further during the pickling process.
I will keep you posted.
4 comments:
Just chuck in cold malt vinegar, a couple of dried chillies, coriander seeds and four cloves. The eggs get a dodgy brown hue in a couple of weeks.
I would have thought malt would fit better for a beer blog, but what do I know!
Save them for the Press Office @ Gbbf - their after effects should lend a fragrant aroma to the studio at 0700 am!
Like maltesers, horlicks and whisky, I lose sight of vinegar's very close relation to beer. Though some of the best (worst ?) vinegars I have tasted were once beer.
Any reason why they are stored in the 'fridge? Usually I have left them in the cupboard. I have done them in the past with brown vinegar (as Deliah suggests) so that they take on the brown colour. Add either lots of chilli flakes or Tabasco sauce to the vinegar to zizz it up a bit. Not sure I could ever wait 4-6 weeks to eat them, perhaps I need a rota system with a jar aging and a jar being eaten.
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