Good Eggs, Safe Eggs

Good eggs are safe eggs, and good, safe eggs are getting harder to find.

Whether you are looking for simple, whole-food meals or classic cuisine, a lot of good recipes depend on eggs. But with the outbreak of salmonella contamination infecting the egg industry, a lot of us are thinking twice about the usual dozen we pick up at the supermarket each week. The local stores have gone to great lengths to assure shoppers that their eggs are not part of the recall, and every carton in their coolers come from a local farm.


I believe that, because we pass that local farm when we drive out to the American Buffalo ranch to pick up meat each month. The problem is that the "chicken farm" consists of long low warehouse-type buildings. The only chicken in sight is the plastic rooster on their corporate logo. Call me paranoid, but I haven't indulged in a single soft-poached egg all summer.

So until we all raise our own backyard hens, or at least find neighbors who do, here are a few tips for safely enjoying eggs:

1. Thorough cooking kills salmonella. The good news is that most of the ways we use eggs are already safe. Scrambled, fried, and hard-cooked eggs are all perfectly safe. Omelets and stir-fries are fine, too. The same goes for all baked goods that include eggs such as cookies, muffins, cakes, bread, casseroles and quiche. But that brings us to the next important rule:

2. No licking raw batter! Aw, Mom, please?  Absolutely not! The childhood pleasure of licking the last drops of raw cookie dough or cake batter from the mixing bowl and beater must fade into the forgotten past. And yes, that includes those of us who have been licking beaters since we had to stand on stools to reach the mixer. The eggs our mothers bought were not produced on factory farms, so we cannot judge the present by past standards.

3. Pasteurize eggs yourself for meringue, eggnog, zabaglione, homemade mayonnaise, and other food that include uncooked eggs. The basic idea is to combine the eggs (yolks and/or whites) with up to 1/4 cup water and sugar, then heat slowly to 160 degrees. The mixture only needs to hold that temperature for a few seconds, then the pan may be plunged into a bowl of ice water to halt the cooking.  The sugar prevents the eggs from curdling too quickly, but it still requires constant stirring.

A lower temperature but more exacting method is the beat the eggs (or yolks and whites separately) with part of the liquid from the recipe (at least 2 Tbs per egg,) then heat this mixture carefully to 140 degrees and hold it there for 3 1/2 minutes. You need an accurate food thermometer and a careful eye, because egg whites coagulate at 144 degrees, and yolks at 149. Do yourself a favor and DON'T try this for the first time when the in-laws are coming for dinner.  Here are more detailed instructions.

If all that seems too much like high school food science class, you can always fall back on commercial pasteurized eggs or egg substitutes. But what fun is that?

For more information, go to the FDA site: Foodsafety.gov, or Sarah Phillips's excellent site: Baking911.com If you're still not satisfied, the Georgia Egg Commission has a web site with more information about eggs than any human person could possibly want: All about eggs

It's Good To Be Different

I'm feeding a different bunch this week; family members who aren't accustomed to my whole-grain spelt bread, olive oil dressings or iron skillet suppers. I'm also cooking in a different kitchen, which is a healthy exercise and a good reminder that Starr's Kitchen really is on a different track than most of the kitchens across the country. The ingredients are different, the cooking equipment is different, and ultimately and most importantly, the tastes are different.

I thought bean soup and corn bread would be a safe menu for last night's supper. Silly me. I knew I'd made a mistake when the 6 year-old walked in the house and hollered, "What's that smell?"

Several of the adults seemed to enjoy their beans. The younger set munched happily on their chicken nuggets and corn-on-the-cob while sitting in front of the television. There are plenty of leftovers than may survive to a ripe old age in the fridge.

I console myself with the conceit that the beans would have been much better if cooked in my own kitchen. At least I'd know what was in the cupboard and where to find the pans.

Meanwhile, we're ordering out for pizza tonight.

Recipe: Cornbread

Most of the cornbread recipes I've found call for some brown sugar and occasionally molasses. If you like the taste of Jiffy mix cornbread, you'll definitely want to include the sugar. But I've received some feedback arguing that cornbread should never be sweet. Who am I to argue? Increase, decrease or eliminate the brown sugar according to your own family's taste. To turn a pan of cornbread into the main dish, see Corn Dog Cornbread.

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour or spelt flour    
1 cup corn meal
1/4 c. brown sugar, packed (optional)
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 c. milk (plain soy or almond milk is fine)
1 egg (2 if medium or small)
1/4 c. canola oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If using a cast iron skillet or corn stick pan, warm it in the oven, then remove and brush well with oil or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine dry ingredients then stir in milk, egg and oil just until blended.

Spoon batter into prepared pan, not quite filling molds to the edge. 

Bake 15 minutes. (slide the corn stick pan lengthwise onto the oven rack, so molds do not catch on the rack.)
Serve from skillet or pan. If using corn stick pan, use a fork to gently loosen corn sticks around the edges while the sticks are still quite warm, then lift from pan to cooling rack.


Recipe: Starr's Bean Soup


The day before or in the morning you will serve the bean soup:

Rinse beans in cold water and sort to remove any odd stones.
Cover with cold water and add a teaspoon of baking soda.

Soak overnight then drain and cook
OR
Bring to a boil, stir, cover, and let soak at least one hour. Drain and cook.

1 lb. dry navy beans or great northern beans, soaked
water
1 lb. cottage ham, salt pork or a meaty ham bone
1 large onion, quartered
3 large carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks with leaves, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 Tbs. cider vinegar, or to taste
freshly cracked black pepper
salt

In a large pot or dutch oven, cover beans with water.
Add the meat, bring to a boil and cook for two hours.
Skim and discard any scum that rises.
Add water as needed to keep liquid about an inch above the beans.
When beans are beginning to soften, add vegetables and seasonings.
Continue cooking another 1 to 2 hours, until beans are very soft and vegetables are cooked through.
Mash some of the beans (with a potato masher or the bottom of a tumbler) to thicken broth.
The meat should fall apart into shreds. Remove bone if using, after the meat falls away.

Serve with any of the optional toppings:
Shredded sharp cheese
chopped tomatoes or onions
sour cream
ketchup
pico de gallo