I've often wondered where the term deviled egg came from and a quick Google search yielded the following:
The deviled egg can be traced back to ancient Rome, where boiled eggs were seasoned with spicy sauces and served as a starter meal during gatherings and feasts.
Who knew?! Certainly not me. But how did it become what most American know to be the mustard and mayo concoction most often served today?
Back to Google:
The earliest known recipe for stuffed eggs, and the one that most closely resembles the modern-day deviled egg, is believed to have been written in the Andalusian region of Spain during the 13th century. The earliest known American recipe for deviled eggs was printed in the Montgomery Advertiser, a local news publication in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1877. The first known recipe to suggest the use of mayonnaise as an ingredient in deviled eggs was in the 1896 version of an American cookbook named The Boston Cooking School Cook Book by Fannie Farmer.
For my family, the mustard and mayo version was "too heavy" on the palate so I came up with this version which is always topped with rendered pancetta or for an even lighter (lower fat version) pan toasted speck. Making it, on the menu, "Pancetta e Uova" - meaning "Bacon and Eggs"!
Uovo alla Diavola (An Italian take on the Deviled Egg)
No mayo or mustard here - just extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon (zest and juice)! More of the "original" version of this ancient recipe than you might think! (read on below).
Uovo alla Diavola (An Italian take on the Deviled Egg)
INGREDIENTS
6 - 8 large eggs
1 lemon (juice and zest)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 - 5 slices speck or 3-4 thinly sliced pieces of pancetta
Salt, black pepper
Garlic powder (optional)
Onion powder (optional)
PREPARATION
If using pancetta, dice and render. Reserve cracklings. If using speck, toast each slice in a dry pan (careful not to burn) and then crumble by hand of chop the toasted speck and reserve.
Boil eggs - (however you like to do it - in water, with steam, however) until yolks are firm
Peel eggs and cut in half lengthwise
Remove yolks and place into a high-sided mixing bowl
Mash yolks
Add lemon zest (use a microplane if you have one)
Juice the lemon
Using a whisk (this is why I ask you to use a high-sided bowl), gradually incorporate lemon juice and olive oil - until you have a uniformly smooth paste (you'll want to be able to pipe the filling into the egg whites - so you'll probably use all of the lemon juice, depending on how juicy you lemon was and how many eggs you hard-boiled).
Add salt, pepper and any other seasonings you wish.
Pipe the paste into the egg whites. Chill the stuffed eggs for 30 minutes.
Remove from the fridge and top with pancetta or speck (I prefer to top the eggs right before serving so that you still have the crispy-crunchy contrast to the smooth and luxurious stuffing) - but you certainly can top the eggs and then chill the completed dish before serving.
INGREDIENTS
6 - 8 large eggs
1 lemon (juice and zest)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 - 5 slices speck or 3-4 thinly sliced pieces of pancetta
Salt, black pepper
Garlic powder (optional)
Onion powder (optional)
PREPARATION
If using pancetta, dice and render. Reserve cracklings. If using speck, toast each slice in a dry pan (careful not to burn) and then crumble by hand of chop the toasted speck and reserve.
Boil eggs - (however you like to do it - in water, with steam, however) until yolks are firm
Peel eggs and cut in half lengthwise
Remove yolks and place into a high-sided mixing bowl
Mash yolks
Add lemon zest (use a microplane if you have one)
Juice the lemon
Using a whisk (this is why I ask you to use a high-sided bowl), gradually incorporate lemon juice and olive oil - until you have a uniformly smooth paste (you'll want to be able to pipe the filling into the egg whites - so you'll probably use all of the lemon juice, depending on how juicy you lemon was and how many eggs you hard-boiled).
Add salt, pepper and any other seasonings you wish.
Pipe the paste into the egg whites. Chill the stuffed eggs for 30 minutes.
Remove from the fridge and top with pancetta or speck (I prefer to top the eggs right before serving so that you still have the crispy-crunchy contrast to the smooth and luxurious stuffing) - but you certainly can top the eggs and then chill the completed dish before serving.
© Joe V 2021 | Website by TesslerDesigns