Michael's Genuine Food: Down-to-Earth Cooking for People Who Love to Eat

Featured Recipe: Classic Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are a classic that doesn’t need to be reinvented with all sorts of fancy ingredients. When it comes to making hard-boiled eggs, the biggest problem is easily overcooking them, which produces a nasty green ring around the yolk and a rubbery texture. The explanation for boiling eggs may seem like overkill, but trust me, you will have total success for the rest of your life.

Ingredients
1 dozen large eggs
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Juice of ½ lemon
2 dashes Habañero Hot Sauce (see recipe below)
or store-bought hot sauce, or more to taste
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ bunch fresh chives, minced

A Note on Eggs: Buy local eggs! More than ever, farmers’ markets are selling fresh eggs from heritage chickens. Well-treated chickens that spend a lot of time on pasture, getting exercise and fresh air, and eating green vegetables (which makes the yolk a deep orange color) produce tasty eggs year round. They often come in a rainbow of shell colors that denote the breed of chicken. The yolks of all should be bright orange and the white have body and sit up on itself. Pastured eggs may cost more than conventional eggs, but they deliver a lot more pleasure, are better for the environment, and leave you with a cleaner conscience (you would not want to eat most mass-market eggs if you saw how they are produced).

Instructions
Put the eggs in a large wide pot, cover with 1 inch of cool water, and set over medium-high heat. Starting with cold water and gently bringing the eggs to a boil will help keep them from cracking. Once the water boils, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 15 minutes. In the meantime, prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl halfway with water and adding a tray of ice cubes. The key here is to cool the eggs quickly. Why? It’s the best way to prevent discoloration around the yolk and it makes them easy to peel.

Using a strainer or slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to the ice bath. Allow them to sit in the water for 5 minutes so they are completely cool down to the center.

Give each egg a few gentle taps on the kitchen counter; you want to crack the shell without damaging the white underneath. Gently roll the egg around until the shell has small cracks all over it. Peel it off.

Using a paring knife, carefully trim off the ends of the eggs, so they will stand upright when serving. Halve the eggs crosswise (not lengthwise like you’re used to seeing) and pop the yolks out and into a food processor. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, hot sauce, half of the paprika, the salt, and pepper. Puree until completely smooth.

Spoon the yolk filling into a pastry bag or a plastic bag with the corner snipped and pipe into the hollowed egg whites. Garnish the eggs with a sprinkle of the remaining paprika and the chives. Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered loosely, for up to 1 day.

Habañero Hot Sauce
Makes: 3 cups

For all you chile heads looking for a knockout, eyewatering, tongue-tingling sauce, here it is; you may never buy commercially made hot sauce again. But a word to the wise: proceed with caution. Made from habañeros, one of the fieriest chiles around, this serious sauce achieves the perfect balance between flavor and heat. It’s best to protect your hands with a pair of latex gloves to keep the oils off your skin. Carrot is the secret weapon here; it not only adds amazing orange color but also gives the sauce another layer of flavor, with subtle sweetness and body. Use this hot sauce in Fried “Buffalo Style” Rabbit (page 152) or to fire up Bloody Marys or mayo. This sauce will keep practically forever!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
½ white onion, coarsely chopped
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, cored,seeded, and chopped
3 habanero chiles, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Put a large nonreactive pot over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent but not brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the carrot, bell pepper, chiles, and tomato paste and stir to combine. Pour in the vinegar and 4 cups water.

Give everything a good stir and bring up to a simmer.

Add the agave, paprika, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook until all of the vegetables are super soft, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Transfer the cooled sauce to a standard blender (or use an immersion blender) and puree until smooth. Store covered in the fridge for up to 6 months.