Friday, March 22, 2013

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. 



10 comments:

  1. How pretty !!! your creations never cease to amaze me !!

    ReplyDelete
  2. FANTÁSTICOS y BELLOS
    Gracias amiga!!!
    Conxita :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Could you use food colouring instead of beats? Because one of my sisters is allergic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sure go ahead with food colors , put in a bit larger quantity or the eggs will be of a paler hue .

      Delete
  4. Hi Smita, how are you? It's a long time we don't write each other. I moved to another website with a new blog and also have a new e-mail... all new! But I wouldn't lost touch with you. A big hug from Italy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Rita , its so nice to hear from u aftr so long . Do send me ur new website url , i'd love to see all the lovely visual foods . Do stay in touch . Take care - Smita

      Delete

Questions?? Comments !! Its a pleasure to hear from you :) :)

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