Pinks....

~ Lets Paint the town Pink ~

(Pickled eggs and labneh dip)

Spring is the time when there is color and  joy everywhere . Right 

from the vibrant flower beds displaying the most outrageous hues

 to the exuberant colors of the Indian festival  Holi -the enigma of

 Pink seems to conquer the northern hemisphere in the 

colors of celebration. 

With Easter and  Holi right around the corner , what could be better than 

adding a bit of fuchsia to our humble eggs too. These pickled egg appetizers 

are  colorful , healthy , delicious and best of all absolutely a breeze to

make !! After all with all those festivities & fun around who wants to be

 in the kitchen for long........

Spring is the season of garden delight too , its the  time when nature 

awakes from its long sleep to  welcome the colors of warmth and life, 

and the gorgeous trees and  shrubs loaded with bunches of flowers 

silently seem to bid adieu to the winter frost & chill . 

The deep pinks of the pickled eggs are perfect for spring !!!
As per wiki -pickled eggs are hard boiled eggs that are cured in brine .

 Just like  other  preserved foods the recipe evolved in the olden times

 to preserve surplus eggs from the farm , so that they could

 be consumed later . 

While many parts of the world relish this pickled version as a favorite

 hors d'oeuvre some places confine it to as pub food served with pickled 

onions and  fish. Owing to the presence of beets in the pickling solution the 

eggs from  Pennsylvania Dutch country  have a beautiful pink color. 

Pickled eggs 

( The easy peasy way)

Ingredients - 4 hard boiled eggs ( peeled) , 1/2 cup white vinegar, 

1/4 cup beet juice, 1/2 tsp sugar , 6-7 black peppercorns , salt to taste. 

Method - Mix together all the ingredients ( except eggs) till the 

sugar dissolves. Keep the eggs in a glass jar and pour the vinegar 

mix over it. Refrigerate for 5-6 hours . To Serve- drain the liquid ,

divide into halves and  season with some freshly crushed  pepper .

( Don't soak the eggs for too long or else they'd be tough and chewy)
( If you don't like pickles replace vinegar with water for just  
beautiful pink color)

Opt for a healthier yolk free version by removing the yolks and filling up

 the cavities with some freshly whipped caramelized onion labneh dip . 

The mild tanginess of Lebneh and crunchiness of the onion will surely 

leave everyone  craving for some more .....(BTW a generous spread of 

labneh tastes great on sandwiches , pitas and paratha so go 
ahead n indulge)

Caramelized Onion Labneh Dip

Ingredients 

2 cups regular yogurt ( home made curd is perfect too), 2 large red 

onions finely diced, 1 tsp chopped onion greens/ chives , 2 tbsp blanched

 peas ,1 tsp olive oil  , salt to taste 

Method

Combine yogurt n salt and place the mixture on a large muslin cloth . 

Tie from all the four ends and hang on the kitchen faucet to drip . 

Remove after 3-4 hours . Untie and keep the cheese aside. 

Drizzle some oil in a skillet and saute onions till golden .Cool and

mix with the cheese. Mix in peas, chopped onion greens n drizzle

 some olive oil( opt). Serve.