Bagged lunch. It’s not my favorite thing to plan and pack, but it’s a necessity. Lately I’ve been trying to find new ideas for lunch, and have happened upon the wonders of egg salad. Wonderfully simple, tasty, and filling. The other week I enjoyed a more standard recipe, but had been wondering what could be done to mix it up.
As I stared into the fridge the other day, I saw some fennel lying there. I tend to just roast it or add it to a stew, but it happened to occur to me that fennel had many similarities to the celery I had been putting in my egg salad. This led me down a rabbit trail – what would egg salad taste like with fennel instead of celery?
My first iteration was pretty boring. Raw fennel, store-bought mayonnaise, eggs, mustard. I cut the fennel too small. The mayo had little flavor. The mixture had no zing. Somehow this didn’t keep my dog from sneakily stealing the last few bites….
What could make the egg salad become something I really looked forward to eating? Back in the fall I ate at a restaurant in St. Louis that won me over in many ways, one of which was their homemade mayonnaise. I had a hunch that the rich flavor of homemade mayonnaise would be a key player in a better egg salad. Inspired by another restaurant, one of my favorites in town – Green Truck Pub, I had made a pickled fennel slaw last spring with great success. Maybe this too could contribute to a more flavorful egg salad?
Lo and behold, I was on the right track. After a failed mayonnaise attempt (take everyone’s advice – don’t use extra virgin olive oil!) the path was set and I was able to make a much more successful rendition of the fennel & egg salad, which you can find below.
The recipe comes alive, I think, due the freshness of the ingredients. The beautiful eggs were purchased from Bootleg Farm, verdant and flavorful fennel from Vertu Farm, and the lemon was given by a neighbor.
Ingredients:
7 eggs
2-3 fennel bulbs, with fronds
3 tbsp champagne vinegar
1 tsp dill seeds
2 pinches sugar
1 tsp dried mustard
1/2 lemon (or 3-4 tsp lemon juice)
1 cup sunflower oil
salt
1. The first step is to lightly pickle the fennel so that it has a little extra zing when mixed in with the eggs and mayonnaise. While completing this step, have a pot of water on the stove on high, in order to bring it to a boil. Roughly chop the fennel bulbs along with some of the fronds (about 3 tbsp). Place into a small bowl and add the dill seeds, a pinch of sugar, as well as 2 tbsp of the champagne vinegar. Set aside and stir whenever you think of it.
2. As the pot of water comes to a boil, carefully place 6 of the eggs into the water and set a timer for 12 minutes.
3. While the eggs cook, it’s time to make the mayonnaise. Start by taking your one remaining egg and separate out the yolk. In a small bowl, whisk together the yolk, 1/2 tsp dried mustard, a pinch of sugar, and a little salt. In another small bowl/glass, combine the remaining 1 tbsp of champagne vinegar and the juice of half a lemon (about 3-4 tbsp). Add half of this vinegar & lemon mixture to the egg and whisk. Now it is time to very slowly add in the sunflower oil while vigorously whisking. The mixture should turn increasingly pale and creamy. Once half of the oil has been added, the remaining vinegar & lemon can be mixed in. Finish it off by continuing to slowly add the sunflower oil while whisking. Set aside (leftover mayonnaise can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days).
4. As you’re finishing up the mayonnaise, the eggs should be nearing their completion as well. Once the timer goes off, place the pot under cold running water for a few minutes to stop the eggs from cooking further. As they become cool enough to handle, peel and chop them, placing the chopped eggs into a medium bowl.
5. Final step, add two heaping spoonfuls of mayonnaise (about 1/3 cup) and the remaining 1/2 tsp dried mustard in with the eggs and stir. Strain out the fennel & fronds from the vinegar and mix into the eggs as well. Use some remaining fronds to garnish, if desired.
cookinseason 