When Life Hands You Lemons

Lately, I’ve really been pushing the limits of my pantry.  I’ve been letting supplies get ridiculously low before making desperate trips to the grocery store.  Part of it is accidental (When the hell did we run out of food?), but part of it is recreational (Okay, well, we have eggs and preserved lemons.  Let’s make a meal.). 

In this particular scenario, that meant turning lemons into egg salad.  A heavy hand with the smoked paprika yielded a sort of Moroccan deviled egg.  Which then exploded.  I didn’t have lettuce or tomato.  Or bread, even.  But, I did have hot dog rolls.  So, I served my egg salad straight-up, wiener-style, just the way the Moroccans like it.

Moroccan-Style Egg Salad

6 large eggs
2 Tbsp. onion, minced
1 Tbsp. preserved lemon peel, chopped
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
¼ cup mayo
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
½ lemon
¼ tsp. smoked paprika (or to taste)
Salt and pepper

Place eggs in a small pot and cover with water by 1 inch.  Bring to boil.  Cover, remove from heat, and let sit 12 minutes.  Transfer eggs to bowl of ice water until cooled.  Peel and chop the eggs.

In a medium bowl, add eggs, onion, preserved lemon, parsley, mayo, and mustard.  Mix gently.  Add a few squeezes of lemon juice, half of the smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.  Mix again and taste.  Adjust seasoning, if necessary.

Comments

[Gram]

When life hands you lemons, ask for the tequila and salt. You could eat a hardboiled egg later, if you want. That's what I call a recreational meal!

[holler]

Oh tequila for me too and a couple of those rolls, they look good! That was an inspired combination! My mum is visiting tomorrow and I have eggs and lemon, i wonder if I am brave enough!

[sandi @ the whistlestop cafe]

Egg salad is a favorite around here...this is a treat! I may have to give it a try. I'll have mine on sourdough toast!

[Heath]

Dammit, you made me laugh (again) and I almost woke up the baby!! I should know better than to read your posts when I'm sitting beside a sleeper. (i don't mean my husband, of course - I could give a shit if I wake HIM up. In fact, I *like* to wake him up. Just to try to even things up a little.)

Argh.

[Sally]

And? How'd it taste? Did the kids like it? I would have never thought of putting lemon anything in egg salad. Very interesting....

[Tammy]

Sally: I loved it. Of course, I love preserved lemons in just about anything. I find egg salad to be really rich, so I like the addition of anything tart or acidic. Capers, too. Yum.

Heath: Sweet, sweet delicious sleep. I should post a recipe for that. Of course, I'm the last one to offer advice on that front since it took my youngest A YEAR AND A HALF to sleep through the night.

Sandi: Sourdough -- that's perfect.

Holler: Just keep in mind that it's preserved lemon peel, not regular lemon peel. That pickling process makes a world of difference.

Gram: Your logic is much better than mine. And I'm ashamed of myself.

[Husband]

I really liked the egg salad even though lemon is not my favorite. The preserved form of the lemon peel tones things down and adds a hint rather than overwhelming everything. Here is a video of me enjoying it:

http://www.devilducky.com/media/45276/

[Tammy]

Wow, that disturbing sausage guy looks JUST like you, Husband, down to the table manners.

[cookiecrumb]

The reason egg salad makes some dishes taste so good is that is is loaded with "umami", that elusive fifth taste (along with bitter, sweet, salty, and sour), an amino acid actually that makes everything taste more delicious.

[Tammy]

Naughty!

[Cottage Smallhoder]

That looks absolutely delicious. A really great use for preserved lemons. We have a jar lurking in the fridge so I will try this for a packed lunch next week and impress the building team that I'm working with. Thanks.