Eggcellent Eats!

Remember last year, when having an egg was like having the newest iPhone?

At a certain point, eggs were not just unaffordable, but simply unattainable. Due to a spate of bird flu induced chicken culling, we had a couple of months of egg-draught in Mzansi.

Now, as a relatively committed vegetarian who loves a good soft poached egg, with a picky eater for a son who basically sustains on egg whites and bananas, this was a tragic time.

To celebrate the fact that eggs are back on the menu, these are some of my favourite eggy recipes (and they’re even kiddo approved!)

Egg wraps or eggy pancakes.

(Inspired by Nadia Hussain’s easy egg rolls)

This is such a game changer in my house. They can be as budget or as bougie as you want to make them, and they are yummy, healthy and high in protein.

The What:

• Eggs (obviously).
• Pre-made wraps.
• Toppings of your choice
• A pan
• A bit of common sense

The How:

• Heat some oil or butter in your pan,
• Gently beat about two or three eggs (depending on pan size and hunger) and pour them into the pan like you are making scrambles egg.
• Don’t scramble the eggs!
• Fry them for about a minute, and once the bottom is set, but the top still gooey, place one wrap flat over the egg, and flip over, gently toasting the wrap and cooking the rest of the egg.
• Now you can add cheese and toppings of your choice to the eggy part of the dish.
• Once the wrap is toasted, slide the whole thing onto a plate, add more toppings if you want and simply roll it up like an eggy burrito or pancake.

Voila! Breakfast, brunch or brinner (breakfast for dinner) is served!

For my fussy kid I simply separate the egg yolks and bake him an egg white wrap – he loves it and I feel like an accomplished parent.

My second favourite Eggceptional recipe makes a crowd-pleasing lunch or snack.

I have invested in an automatic egg-boiler. It’s a life changing thing and much like people try to use their air fryer for everything, I try to use boiled eggs in anything now.

Not so 70’s egg salad

(This is not your aunties egg-salad)

The what:

• As many eggs as hunger dictates. Usually about two per person.
• Mayo
• Plain yogurt
• Dash of tomato sauce
• Dijon mustard
• Salt, pepper, sriracha or tobacco, butter.

Serve on bread of your choice. (I like crispy toasted dark rye, but thick slices of squishy white bread also taste amazing.)

The how:

Boil your eggs. Medium boiled eggs work best and give great flavour.

Deshell them – dunk them into a bowl of ice water to cool down rapidly, then whack each of them with the back of a spoon to break the shell, before putting them back in the water, this allows water to seep in between the shell and the egg, making the peeling much easier.

Top Tip: For even easier peeling, simply use week old eggs, boil, do the above and then leave them in the fridge overnight.

• Now the fun starts – here its all about your taste preferences.
• Smash the eggs in a large bowl and mash them with the back of a spoon.
• Now you can choose what to add, I use more yogurt than mayo, add a bit of tomato sauce and then flavour with salt, Dijon, pepper, and sriracha to taste. I like to add thinly sliced radish, finely chopped chives, or slices of Avo with lemon juice and make an open sandwich.
• Brew a strong pot of Ceylon tea and enjoy this classic meal while revelling in the fact that eggs are affordable again (for now).

Oh, and for the kid? Its sliced egg-whites on toast with a haute cuisine drizzle of tomato sauce. So cheffy…