Last week's Union Bear review had me thinking about eggs. I was taken by a chicken-fried number: a salty crusty treasure chest filled with liquid gold. Next thing you know Side Dish is gushing about yolks.
It was Graham Dodds that seduced them, with eggs from Yellow Prairie Farm in Caldwell Texas, the same farm that supplies Union Bear through Urban Acres in Oak Cliff. Dodds poaches eggs for salads and wraps them is sausage for snacking. We liked his eggs, too.
Now The New York Times is talking eggs, this time from the smallest types of farms: the ones in urban backyards.
The trend picked up a few years ago, when conscious eaters became curious about where their food came from. After everyone got done arguing with their municipalities about whether or not chickens can be farmed in cities without creating a nuisance (they can), urban farmers started farming eggs.
Even Observer columnist Jim Schutze got himself some chickens. If you haven't read his story about his struggles with the maggotometer, you should do so now.
The best thing about the Times article is all the delicious recipes embedded in the text. How does poached eggs served over thick yogurt with toasted pita bread and a trickle of hot, herb-infused butter sound? Or beets and eggs, pickled together in a hot-pink brine -- could there be a better bar snack? "I put sliced hard-boiled eggs in banh mi," said one subject. I'm down with that.
Egg recipes are endless, but my favorite egg preparation is perfectly poached, on a slice of well-buttered white toast, and something acidic on the side, like a tangle of greens dressed in bright vinegar. I also love them slowly scrambled in an absurd amount of butter and finished with fresh herbs. Chives, thyme, cilantro, any of the soft, mild ones (fine herbs) will work fine. Curry leaves are good, too.
