WRAL reporter Brian Shrader and our own Lisa Prince feature seasonal recipes in their weekly Local Dish Cooking segment. This month’s recipes featuring eggs. North Carolina farmers produce more than three million eggs per year. The state ranks fourth nationally in egg production. Check out a few delicious egg recipes below.
Mini egg casserole with spinach and croutons
- 6 slices Applewood-smoked bacon, cooked and diced
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 6 ounces baby spinach
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1⁄2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper (optional)
- 1⁄2 cup croutons, chopped (leave a few whole)
- 4 eggs
Cook bacon in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon; pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings. Add shallot and garlic; sauté over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes until soft. Add spinach; cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Return bacon to skillet. Stir in cream; reduce heat to low and simmer until cream is thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Divide spinach mixture evenly among four greased 5-ounce ramekins or custard cups. Sprinkle croutons evenly over the spinach. Break an egg over the spinach mixture and place in a 400 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until desired doneness. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Lisa’s Notes: You can change up the cheese, use bread crumbs instead of croutons, use ham instead of bacon or even try using sausage. Serve with toast, biscuit or English muffin to dip into the sauce.
Asian chicken and egg rice bowl
- 1-1⁄2 cups ready-to-serve chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 6 ounces skinless boneless chicken breast half (cut into ½-inch pieces)
- 1⁄2 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
- 2 large dried shiitake mushrooms, softened, cut into thin strips (or any dried mushroom of your choice)
- 1⁄3 cup diagonally sliced green onions
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup uncooked medium grain rice, cooked, hot (we used Jasmine)
Heat chicken broth, sugar and soy sauce in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat to boiling. Add chicken, yellow onion and mushrooms; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer just until chicken is cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add green onions. Without stirring, slowly pour eggs over surface of broth, covering as much as possible. Cook the broth/egg mixture over low heat for about 2 minutes. As outer edges of eggs begin to set, lift cooked portions to center of pan, keeping eggs in large soft curds as much as possible. Continue cooking, stirring just as needed, until no visible egg remains. Ladle over rice in deep soup bowls.
Lisa’s Notes: Garnish with chives, serve with soy sauce, sriracha and additional green onions.
- 1 dozen eggs
- 1 package of wonton wrappers
- 1 1⁄4 cups mayonnaise
- 12-ounce package of bacon, cooked and chopped
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 1⁄4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (Optional)
- 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste
- 1 large tomato, diced
- 1 small bunch of chives, chopped*
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Place your eggs into a large pot. Fill the pot with just enough water to fully cover the eggs. Cover with lid, and wait for the water to boil. Let the water boil for 7 minutes, and then remove from heat, and let the eggs sit for 4 minutes. Heat oven to 350. Using a 12-serving muffin/cupcake tin, line each tin with two wonton wrappers, laying them on top of one another creating a star shape. Be sure to push them down, to ensure the wrapper is secured into the cup shape. Cook the cups in the oven for 8-10 minutes until golden-brown. Peel and clean your eggs. Using a food processor or potato masher breakdown the eggs but don’t mash too much. Next, add the mayonnaise, mustard, Cajun seasoning, black pepper and salt. If you are using a food processor, be sure to blend these by hand, so the egg salad doesn’t become over blended. Allow the egg salad to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.
How to Assemble:
The best thing about this recipe is it can be made in advance and assembled the day you want to serve it! The filling and wonton cups will hold for a few days. Fill the wonton cups with two heaping spoonsfuls of egg salad. Sprinkle a little Paprika on top. Next sprinkle some bacon bits and tomatoes. Finish the cup with a few chives
*There’s no lettuce in the BLT, but the chives look the part.
Lisa’s Notes: Genna Preston from Raleigh entered this creative appetizer in the Incredible! Egg Salad Recipe Contest at the 2017 NC State Fair and took home the blue ribbon.
Mexican rice and beans baked eggs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin, dried thyme and chili powder
- 1⁄4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1⁄2 cup corn kernels
- 1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz.)
- 2 cups cooked long-grain rice
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
- 1⁄4 cup sour cream
- 1⁄2 teaspoon lime zest
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
Heat oven to 400. Heat oil in ovenproof skillet set over medium heat. Cook onion, jalapeño, garlic, cumin, thyme, chili powder, salt and pepper for about 5 minutes or until onion starts to soften. Stir in black beans and corn until well coated. Stir in tomatoes; bring to boil. Stir in rice. Make four small divots in rice mixture with spoon; crack egg into each divot. Transfer to oven. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until egg whites are set and yolks are cooked to desired doneness. Sprinkle with parsley or cilantro. Meanwhile, stir together sour cream, lime zest and juice. Drizzle over rice and eggs.
NOTES
Lisa’s Notes: Serve this hearty dish with salsa and your favorite cheese. The eggs and beans are so filling you won’t even miss having a meat as the protein.
Ingredients for filling:
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 cups milk
- 3⁄4 cup sugar
- 1⁄3 cup cornstarch
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Other ingredients:
- 1 Pie crust (9-inch) (graham cracker crumb, gingersnap crumb or vanilla wafer cookie crumb)
- 2 bananas, sliced
- 1 cup heavy cream, whipped and sweetened with 2 tablespoons. powdered sugar (or an 8-ounce cool whipped topping )
- Bananas for garnish (optional)
- Toasted coconut for garnish (optional)
Beat egg yolks well in medium bowl; gradually stir in milk until blended. Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in large heavy saucepan. Gradually stir in milk mixture until blended. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 10 to 15 minutes. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat immediately. Stir in butter and vanilla. Pour half of the vanilla custard into the piecrust. Arrange two bananas over filling. Top with remaining filling. Press piece of plastic wrap onto surface of pastry cream to prevent “skin” from forming. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours. Spread whipped cream over filling. Garnish with additional bananas. Serve immediately. Refrigerate any leftover pie promptly.
NOTES
Lisa’s Notes: You can also make a meringue topping for this pie. Or drizzle it with caramel sauce.