Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Will trade for Duck Eggs....




When talking to Ken (my foodie friend) on the phone the other day, the conversation, as it often does, turned to food, and we ended up swapping my leftovers from dinner (Zuni Cafe-ish roasted chicken, roasted red potatoes, and onions, and steamed broccoli) for 6 wonderfully fresh duck eggs that he had procured. Personally, I think I got the best of the deal, although he really enjoyed the leftovers for his lunch that day. But, I am now the proud owner of 6 BEAUTIFUL duck eggs. (notice the bag that he brought them to me in....) When life gives you duck eggs, it calls for a cool recipe, not your ordinary throw-an-egg-in-your-cookie-dough kind of recipe, but something that highlights the richness of these beauties. I browsed and browsed for just the right thing, but the recipe that kept popping up in the back of my mind was the spicy cabbage recipe that I have made quite often from the Orangette blog, but always sans egg. She (Molly) says in her post that it is a perfect meal topped with an egg with a nice saucy yolk...it sounded perfect for lunch on this cold blustery day. And, topped with a duck egg, a match made in heaven. My whole lunch consisted of 5 ingredients, and took 20 minutes from start to finish, which included chopping the cabbage. It really isn’t very pretty, but the flavour more than makes up for the look. The cabbage takes on a whole new flavour, spicy, with a hint of smoky sweetness that is downright addictive. If you have never been a cabbage fan, this may be the recipe to convert you. (My 14 year old, upon tasting it for the first time, said “since when did cabbage taste this good??!!”) The egg on top is perfect. I must say, Molly was right again, (she always is, her recipes have never led me astray...if you haven’t yet checked her blog out, I highly recommend it) We have had the cabbage as a side dish many times, but this was my first try with the recommended egg. It makes a wonderful side dish turn into a perfect, quick meal that satisfies on multiple levels. The duck eggs, with their beautiful orange-doamed yolks were perfectly complimented by the spicy ribbons of cabbage. Sometimes simple just works. I thank you,  Molly for the cabbage recipe, and  Ken for the duck eggs, from the bottom of my stomach!

Spicy Cabbage and Eggs

1-2 tbsp grape seed or other high heat oil
½ head green cabbage
1 tsp Sambal Oelek hot sauce (or to taste)
2 tbsp soya sauce (ish)
2 eggs, regular or duck


Cut your ½ cabbage into two equal pieces, and remove the core.

Slice into nice thin ribbons.


Heat the grape seed oil till it is nice and hot in a wok ( I am sure you could use any other frying pan here, but I like the way the wok lets you toss the cooking cabbage) Toss in the cabbage, taking care with the hot oil, and give it a good mix to coat in the hot oil.


Add the Sambal Oelek, and again mix well (I use 2 wooden spoons) to distribute.


Let it hang out for a bit, so it starts to get some nice colour. Give it a good stir every minute or so until the mixture starts to brown nicely and wilt, about 10 minutes total.


Add the soy sauce, toss well, and turn down the heat.


It can sit and simmer until your eggs are ready.

Heat another pan, add a pat of butter or turn of oil, whichever you prefer to cook an egg ( I use a small pat of butter and maybe 2 tsp of olive oil) Crack your eggs into a bowl, and slide them out into the hot pan.

 I like my yolks runny, so I let them cook for about 2 minutes, and then top with a glass lid to just firm up the whites, but not solidify the yolks, maybe another minute.


When they are cooked to your desired doneness, slide them out of the pan onto a plate of the spicy cabbage, and enjoy. Just look at that beautiful orange yolk....


This made enough for my lunch and lunch for Jim tomorrow. As a side dish the cabbage would serve at least 4.



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